Gram Chikitsalay: A Familiar Dose of Rural Realism That Plays It Safe

Release Date : 09 May 2025

CAST: Amol Parashar, Vinay Pathak, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Anandeshwar Dwivedi, Akash Makhija, Garima Vikrant Singh, Santoo Kumar DIRECTOR: Rahul Pandey GENRE: Drama, Comedy STREAMING ON: Amazon Prime Video

Gram Chikitsalay is a new series from TVF that takes us back to rural India—just like their hit show Panchayat. But this time, instead of focusing on village administration, the story looks at the poor state of healthcare in small villages. The series is set in a fictional village called Bhatkandi and follows a young doctor who comes in with big hopes, only to face harsh ground realities. While the idea behind the show is good and the acting is strong, the story doesn’t do much that we haven’t already seen before.

The main character, Dr. Prabhat Sinha (played by Amol Parashar), is posted to a badly managed and almost broken village clinic. He wants to make things better and believes he can bring change. But very soon, he realises that nothing works the way it should. Medicines are missing, the equipment is old and useless, and people don’t trust government health services. What’s worse, no one in the village really expects him to help—they’ve seen many doctors come and go.

One of the more interesting parts of the show is Dr. Prabhat’s interaction with Chetak Kumar (Vinay Pathak), a local quack who pretends to be a doctor. He doesn’t know much about medicine, but the villagers trust him because he listens to them and treats them with kindness. Surprisingly, it’s this quack who teaches Prabhat one of the most important lessons: in villages, trust matters more than degrees. You have to win over the people first before they’ll let you help them.

The show has a lot in common with Panchayat—a city guy lands in a village, meets quirky local characters, and slowly begins to understand the place. The humour is soft, the pace is slow, and the village life is shown with great detail. Amol Parashar does a good job as the doctor, playing the role with honesty. But his character doesn’t get many emotional layers, which makes it a little hard to truly connect with him.

The side characters help bring life to the story. Garima Vikrant Singh plays nurse Indu, who is practical and caring. Anandeshwar Dwivedi and Akash Makhija play the compounder and ward boy, and their scenes bring both humour and support. Santoo Kumar gives one of the best performances as Indu’s troubled son, and his story brings more emotion to the show. Akansha Ranjan Kapoor also plays a doctor from a nearby area, but she doesn’t get much screen time, and her role doesn’t add much to the main plot.

Visually, the show looks real and captures the village atmosphere well. The music, especially songs like Kanchi Tori Kaya, fits perfectly and adds to the mood. You feel like you're truly inside a small Indian village with all its charm and problems.

However, the biggest issue with Gram Chikitsalay is that it feels too safe and too predictable. The story moves in a way that you can easily guess what will happen next. Each episode brings a new problem, but everything is solved a bit too neatly. Important topics like mental health, politics in healthcare, and poor infrastructure are shown, but not explored deeply. The show avoids difficult topics like caste, gender inequality, or class differences, which could have made the story stronger and more meaningful.

The emotional scenes are there, but they don’t always feel natural. Sometimes they seem added just to create a reaction from the viewer. Because the series tries hard to stay simple and light, it misses the chance to really dive deep into the serious issues of rural healthcare.

Final Verdict:

Gram Chikitsalay is a heartfelt show with good performances and a realistic village setting. It’s easy to watch and has some warm moments, but it doesn’t offer anything new or surprising. It’s a good choice for viewers who enjoy slice-of-life dramas and rural stories, but if you're hoping for a bold or fresh take on India’s health system, this series may leave you wanting more.