Gram Chikitsalay Season 2 Review: Amol Parashar’s Rural Drama Is Just What The Doctor Ordered

Boy, have we been yearning for a good slice-of-life web series to gravitate towards amid the incessant downpour of crime sagas, investigative thrillers and whodunits. That is precisely why the second season of Gram Chikitsalay feels like a welcome drizzle over parched ground. Another story that takes us into the beating heart of rural India, away from the urban clangour and city-bred impatience, it arrives to divert viewers from choreographed gore and manufactured violence, and instead immerses them in a light-hearted yet quietly profound portrayal of a privileged doctor who has chosen the tougher road to bring change through a Gram Chikitsalay, or Primary Health Centre, somewhere in Jharkhand. This Lalitam Anand directorial, created by Deepak

Kumar Mishra and Arunabh Kumar, the minds behind Panchayat, has truly upped its game compared to the first season, almost across every department, and undoubtedly holds the promise of becoming another cherished TVF offering. And yes, there is also a surprise cameo, ahem ahem, that will leave Panchayat loyalists grinning like they have stumbled upon an old friend at a village chaupal.

The second season opens with the familiar building of Bathkhandi PHC. Once crumbling and neglected, it now stands upright, functional and finally open for the ailing villagers, all thanks to Dr Prabhat Sinha, played by Amol Parashar. But with this welcome change comes an entire iota of cultural shock, draped in humour, as the innocent and naive villagers turn up and describe their ailments in ways that are as baffling as they are endearing. From someone bringing a stool sample inside a sweet box to Prabhat dealing with the comical wrath of a husband who arrives with his pregnant wife for a check-up, the first episode gives us humorous glimpses into the rustic, guileless world of Bathkhandi, while also elaborating on the peripheral characters orbiting Dr Prabhat.

But even with the PHC now functioning properly, there are still loose ends that need to be tied. For instance, the lack of medicines continues to plague the centre. On one occasion, Prabhat has to go to the neighbouring village PHC to borrow some medicines, where Dr Gargi, played by Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, not only lends them to him but also answers his curious question about how she manages to get a regular stock while his PHC continues to lag behind. She tells him about a competition called Adarsh PHC, where a cluster of PHCs is evaluated on the basis of cleanliness and other parameters, and the centre with the highest points receives the most benefits from the CMO, or Chief Medical Officer’s office. Seeing this as a chance to elevate his own PHC, Prabhat becomes determined, with almost boyish fervour, to emerge victorious.

We also get to meet the other inhabitants of Bathkhandi. Cue Govind, the ward boy, who has been working at the PHC on a contractual basis but now has a chance to secure permanent employment. But crossing that bridge is not without its hurdles. Despite all the checks being in place, government official Babu Saheb, played by Dinesh Lal Yadav aka Nirahua, demands a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh from him, saying only then will he make his employment permanent. But when Govind is unable to arrange the sum, Babu Saheb presents another proposition, asking Govind to marry his sister-in-law.

Meanwhile, village quack Dr Chetak, played by Vinay Pathak, is still running his phony clinic along with his assistant Arvind, played by Vikram Pratap Singh, where he prescribes medicines to his patients after doing a Google search of their ailments. We also see him bond with his daughter Juhi, played by Divya Sharma, who is studying at a good college to become a real doctor, unlike the kind he is. Dr Chetak plays a crucial part this season as he turns Coyote, yes, the Road Runner reference is very much intended, in his attempt to derail Dr Prabhat’s efforts to win the Adarsh PHC title. He does so in collusion with the former sarpanch of the village, Kishori Bhaiya, played by Shakti Kumar, who wears a fake wig to conceal his baldness and is perpetually surrounded by a bunch of caricaturish henchmen who inflate his ego like village fair balloons. With Dr Chetak as the mastermind, he keeps devising seedy schemes as more and more people begin visiting Dr Prabhat instead of him, driven by jealousy, greed and the fear of dwindling relevance.

And of course, there is Phutani, played by Anandeshwar Dwivedi, the compounder who assists Prabhat with the day-to-day activities of the PHC, helps Govind with his peculiar wedding predicament and generally brings a lot of natural humour to the show’s situations.

Then there is the dynamic between Dr Prabhat and Dr Gargi. The former is fiercely idealistic in his approach and wants to usher in overnight change, while Dr Gargi is more balanced, pragmatic and in sync with how the village and the system actually function. The two gradually become each other’s anchors during moments of need, but not without a conflict hovering on the horizon.

And these are not the only characters this five-episode series introduces us to. There is a whole motley of people who come and go as the main story takes shape. Will Dr Prabhat secure Adarsh PHC for Bathkhandi? How will Govind go about making his job permanent? Will Dr Chetak succeed in derailing Prabhat? That is for the viewers to discover.

Positive things first, the second season of Gram Chikitsalay is truly a step up from its first season, which struggled with pace and a barely engaging screenplay. Some of the characters in the first outing seemed contrived, and by the end of the final episode, very little of substance had actually happened. However, this season is better by leaps and bounds in the way the story moves seamlessly from scene to scene, situation to situation and episode to episode, maintaining a steady sense of excitement among viewers.

The standard of humour has also improved significantly, with jokes landing more naturally and scenes depicting the innocence and simplicity of village life through zany situations actually working in the show’s favour. We also get to see an interesting set of characters across the five episodes, whether it is the elderly man who carries a bottle of toddy with him, a woman branded as the “dayan” of the village, a kid who eventually bonds with Prabhat, and many others who keep the screenplay alive and engaging throughout.

While the similarities between this show and Panchayat are visibly clear, to the point where one may spot shades of Abhishek Tripathi in Dr Prabhat, Vikas in Govind and Prahlad Pandey in Phutani, it still does not hinder the viewing experience because Gram Chikitsalay has its own heartbeat, its own terrain and its own flavour, with only minor overlapping similarities. Like Panchayat, Gram Chikitsalay also addresses serious issues, including corruption in the rural medical sector, the stigma attached to a male doctor tending to a pregnant patient, superstitious beliefs that sometimes trump logic in the minds of villagers, the fine line between idealism and practicality, and how an ailment like seizure can make or break a marriage if the patient happens to be the bride. The way these aspects are enmeshed within the larger canopy of a humour-laced story is absolutely brilliant. And for Panchayat lovers, there is a sweet surprise stored in the final stretch.

However, a series like this still has plenty of room to grow, especially in terms of adding more episodes rather than sticking to the five-episode format. At times, the screenplay feels a little too rushed. A couple of extra episodes would have made the story feel more rounded and would have also satiated viewers more fully. A five-episode series does not always satisfy an audience that wants to spend more time in a world it has begun to enjoy. While the background score by Anand Bhaskar is good, the series could also benefit from a few songs that would further elevate the mood and make the experience more memorable.

On the acting front, Amol Parashar, as always, impresses as Dr Prabhat. He plays him as someone who is usually calm and level-headed even in the face of crisis, but also someone who needs to loosen up a little when it comes to his idealism. Akanksha Ranjan Kapoor as Dr Gargi truly matches that contrasting energy with her balanced demeanour and practicality. She inhabits her character naturally, and her chemistry with Amol Parashar feels refreshing.

Akash Makhija is another actor who infuses soul into his character Govind, bringing out his naivety and innocence with remarkable ease. This is starkly different from the menacing, cruel and absolutely vile character of Babu that he played in Raakh. He is a master at picking up accents, as we saw with his out-and-out Marathi character in Raakh, and now with a Bhojpuri-accented character in this series. Anandeshwar Dwivedi as Phutani also plays his part well, with his comic timing shining through in some of the crucial scenes. Vinay Pathak as Dr Chetak delivers his part effortlessly, playing a man who knows what he is doing is wrong but continues to do it out of ego and financial obligations for his daughter, who is studying in a fancy medical college. He does justice to his character arc and proves once again what a seasoned actor he is. The other actors also play their parts well, whether it is Shakti Kumar as Kishori Lal, Kartikey Raj as Dhelu, Dinesh Lal Yadav aka Nirahua as Babu Saheb, Himani Sharma as Vandana, Moushami Bharti, Divya Sharma and others, all of whom fit neatly into the canvas of the series.

To sum it up, Gram Chikitsalay Season 2 is another good addition to the vast canvas of TVF. It is humorous, informative, entertaining and certainly a binge-worthy slice-of-life story that compels you to watch it in one go. While it has certainly improved from the first season, the series still holds the potential to become even better and more exciting in the coming seasons. The last episode is the cherry on the cake, as it evokes a very familiar feeling of warmth and puts a smile on your face. If you liked Panchayat, this one is definitely for you.