Gram Chikitsalay Review
Director: Rahul Pandey
Date Created: 2025-05-09 18:28
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Gram Chikitsalay Review: I was intrigued when I first heard about this series. It is directed by Rahul Pandey and produced by Deepak Kumar Mishra, who has directed some of the most successful series in recent times. It stars Amol Parashar as Dr. Prabhat Sinha, Anandeshwar Dwivedi as Phutani, Vinay Pathak as local quack Chetak Kumar, and Akansha Ranjan Kapoor as Dr. Gargi. It also stars Garima Vikrant Singh, Akash Makhija, and Santoo Kumar in the lead. The series consists of 5-episode with each episode around 35 to 40 minutes.
Gram Chikitsalay Review
At first glance, Prime Video’s Gram Chikitsalay reminded me of Panchayat, the show that showed rural life so effortlessly. This show starts with Dr. Prabhat Sinha coming to a village where the health centre is not very efficient because there is a local, unofficial doctor. The idea had potential. It could have mixed comedy with social commentary on rural Indian healthcare.
As always, let’s start with the positives. The acting is good. Amol Parashar is spot-on casting for the idealistic doctor who desires change. Vinay Pathak, though we don’t get to see him much, makes his presence felt with his quirky demeanour. The show is also real-looking, its interpretation of rural life, people, and the lethargy of government systems, all these felt real. And yes, it is family-oriented, and there are some beautiful, emotional, poignant moments. There are some beautiful songs seeded in the series, too, which fit the rural landscape perfectly.
I liked it a lot for the first few episodes. The concept was straightforward, and the humour was working. I liked to smile at the effort by Dr. Sinha to fit into the new world. The struggle between modern medicine and conventional thought had promise, and I was looking forward to the story taking it somewhere.
At some point in the middle of the series, politics and excessive plot twists overwhelmed the innocent charm. The attention began to wander away from the main theme, the struggle between a qualified doctor and a well-liked quack. I was really looking forward to a richer development of that struggle, perhaps even a bitter feud that learns something worthwhile. That never really materialised.
Instead, the series began to falter. The episodes grew long, and the emotional connection that was supposed to be built just did not resonate. Even the series finale, an episode about mental illness, was a little rushed and seemed disconnected from the rest of the series. It seemed like the writers tried to cram too much into the last episode, rural medicine, emotional connection, politics, mental illness, without devoting each subject the time it needed.
The only thing which hit me is that there is no iconic scene. Such a show has some line or sequence which you retain. Something debated or meme’d. There’s nothing like that in TVF’s Gram Chikitsalay. The characters are nice but forgettable. I could not have this kind of emotional connection with somebody like the one that I shared for Panchayat or Gullak.
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All that aside, credit to the creators for the work they’ve done. The show is well-made, the setting is actually good, and the message how healthcare can’t be just a career, it has to be a service—is a good one. I also like the way TVF (The Viral Fever) returns to storytelling in small-town India again and again. They’ve done it previously in shows like Kota Factory, Aspirants, and Gullak, and it’s clear that they love good storytelling. But compared to some of the other programs, this one was a less strong effort. It’s not bad at all but just not excellent either.
Summing Up
If you enjoy slow, syrupy plots and have enjoyed watching other TVF shows, the Gram Chikitsalay series may be worth a look. It is definitely a one-watch, though, and one that won’t take up too much of your time. Just be ready with slightly lower expectations, and you can leave with a feel-good vibe.
Gram Chikitsalay season 1 is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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