From the makers of Panchayat comes another story of a village that needs reinvention. But this time, the story focuses on the crumbling healthcare of rural India. Told with a blend of satire, humour, and reality check, this series tells the story of Bhatkandi village and its struggle with healthcare and awareness. But does this series strike a chord like Panchayat? Read our review of Gram Chikitsalay to find out.

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Gram Chikitsalay review: The plot

With much rebellion and ambition, Dr Prabhat Sinha arrives in a fictitious village, Bhatkandi. A freshly minted MBBS doctor, he dreams of serving rural India by making sure the Public Healthcare Centre (PHC) of the village runs smoothly. But nothing is as smooth or glorious as he imagined it to be. Bhatkandi has its own rules; the equipment is rusted, blood pressure cuffs are eaten by rats, and healthcare is a joke. Only nurse Indu (Garima Vikrant Singh) is dedicated towards her duty. With hard work and support from compounder Phutani (Anandeshwar Dwivedi) and ward boy Govind (Akash Makhija), Dr Prabhat manages to make the PHC functional. But no patient ever visits him. And Dr Gargi’s (Akansha Ranjan Kapoor) occasional presence is a reminder of this failure for Dr Prabhat.

So, when Phutani informs him of Chetak Kumar (Vinay Pathak), a ‘jholachaap’ doctor who has been treating people with zero knowledge of healthcare, Dr Prabhat thinks he has found his adversary. But he soon realises he needs to win the trust of the villagers for them to visit his PHC. And in this process, things go haywire.

What disappoints in Gram Chikitsalay?

The story mixes humour, sarcasm, and appeals to the emotions of the audience to deliver the message. But sadly, the story offers nothing that we haven’t seen in Panchayat. It’s the same story with new characters. All you have to do is replace the reluctant Sachivji with a willing Dr Prabhat to differentiate the two series. Gram Chikitsalay fails to carve a unique identity for itself and feels like a watered-down spin-off of Panchayat. Though the story starts with a good pace, the narrative gets quite slow, almost stretched out and irregular mid-season. The characters are criminally underwritten, especially the character of Dr Prabhat.

What impresses about the series?

Director Deepak Mishra has done a good job in portraying a village like Bhatkandi. The world he has built is real and believable. From people’s problems to their tone, you can’t doubt the credibility of any of it. The show also offers an unexpected and impressive turn of events. Even though Dr Prabhat’s character is underwhelming, Amol Parashar manages to shine through with his performance. Similarly, Vinay Pathak is given very limited screen time but he impresses with his performance. Akansha Ranjan Kapoor also does justice to her character.

Overall, if you love Panchayat, you might not want to watch a series that’s painfully similar to it. However, if you haven’t watched it or enjoy stories of the dusty villages of India, Gram Chikitsalay is a sweet one-time watch.

Can you watch Gram Chikitsalay with your family? Yes, you can watch the series with your family.

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