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Cast: Amol Parashar, Vinay Pathak, Anandeshwar Dwivedi, Akash Makhija, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Garima Vikrant Singh
Creator: Deepak Kumar Mishra
Director: Rahul Pandey
Streaming On: Prime Video
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 5 episodes of 30 minutes each.
A few years ago, when the entire country was fighting COVID and the lockdown, an easy, breezy social dramedy, Panchayat, won the hearts of the audiences for its honest and simplistic storytelling. 5 years later, TVF decided to create another world keeping the basics intact and called it Gram Chikitsalay. The trailer of this series set the premise of the show very clearly; in fact, it was a brilliantly done trailer. But does the web series hold the essence? Read our review to find out!
The basics of this web series are simple: A privileged city doctor wants to work at the grassroots level, so he probably qualifies for a government exam and is appointed as the medical officer in a distant village in Jharkhand. As soon as he enters the village, he gets a reality check – the village relies on a non-qualified doctor running a clinic, and none of them trust the Primary Health Center and the newly appointed doctor.
Now, before we move forward, I will beg your pardon, because I am turning into that Bua of the family who pits two cousins against each other because they have similar education and opportunities. So here, the two cousins are Amol Parashar and Jitendra Kumar! Obviously, Jitu Bhaiya is the charmer of the family, and Amol Parashar is the distant cousin who is constantly living under pressure to perform and excel like Jitu Bhaiya. Does he tackle this pressure well?
Gram Chikitsalay Review: What’s It About:
So, Panchayat, oops, Gram Chikitsalay starts with the topic it wants to deal with – the situation of the health sector in villages. It has three basic characters – Medical Officer – Dr. Prabhat Sinha, Compounder Phutani Ji, and the ward boy Govind. It has three extended characters – Nurse Indu Ji, her son Sudhir, and the sweeper Dhelu! However, this is only one party, and there is an altogether different party led by another doctor in the village, played by Vinay Pathak, and the entire village, who is against this newly arrived doctor from the city!
The story takes time to develop. Although it wins in moments and offers hope, just like Nurse Indu says, “Saalon baad koi doctor is kursi pe kisi ke mareez ke intezaar mein baitha hai. Dekh ke bahut accha laga Sir.” But Amol Parashar’s rural escapade never expands its issue to health. Neither does it connect with the village! It struggles between these two points and keeps struggling for a long time!
After a point, Amol Parashar is too shadowed by Jitendra Kumar’s irritated Sachiv Ji, as this web series struggles to escape the shadow of Panchayat and finally surrenders to its giantism. Parashar has that puppy face innocence that does not establish him as a strong character who needs to fight and will fight. He seems to surrender after every second frame.
In fact, the entire web series loses its focus in the first episode itself, and you just wait for it to grow, but it keeps moving in a linear line, trying to develop its plot on forced jokes that do not land and even more forced circumstances that are portrayed as hilarious, but the only problem being they are not funny at all! Yes, you might blame it on my sense of humor, but in the entire 5-episode series, there is only one disease that is mentioned in this series that involves Stethoscopes and BP machines. The second health issue arrives in the finale episode!
Gram Chikitsalay Review: What Works:
Despite the flaws, the web series works in parts, if not entirety. While Vinay Pathak’s local doctor, Dr. Prabhat Sinha, realized how one needs to connect to the village and residents and know them inside out so that they feel comfortable to open up with their problems, there is another Government doctor from the neighboring village, who is the neighbor at Prabhat Sinha’s Govt. Quarter, who explains – “Gaanv agar tumhe apna nahi bana raha to tum gaanv ko apna bana lo!”
In fact, the connection that is established between Prabhat and his first patient is rather heartfelt but too short-lived since it is saved as the finale twist, and one has to wait till the climax to witness, though it is quite predictable from the beginning!
Gram Chikitsalay Review: Star Performance:
Every character in this web series shines in their respective roles except for Amol Parashar, who, despite having sincerity, does not convince us as the doctor who is krantikaari, wants to change the world, but does not have the fire or spark to support his vision. In fact, his character is quite laid-back! He learns about a Jhola Chhaap doctor, but is not interested in meeting him urgently. He is okay with people getting treated by a doctor who does not have a degree. In fact, in one of the scenes, he is heartbroken and sees a very old soul walking in search of someone who could help him medically. But our doctor just watches him walk and does not offer help from his side.
In fact, he does not even educate or use an aggressive approach with the villagers! And one cannot blame him entirely because the script does not let him shine! The rest of the characters – Garima Vikrant Singh’s Nurse Indu, Akash Makhija’s Govind, Anandeshwar Dwivedi’s Phutani hold this web series with a tight grip!
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Gram Chikitsalay Review: What Doesn’t Work:
The web series has its heart in the right place, but it clearly is under the pressure of becoming as brilliant as Panchayat. And that is where it starts crumbling. The web series works in parts, but it fails to connect in its entirety because it is all over the place. The basic problem starts when Amol Parashar’s doctor gets involved in politics accidentally, and the entire story shifts its gears unnecessarily on that issue. Prabhat has two companions at his workplace, but he fails to build a personal connection with them as well; he is guarded and has a wall that no one can break!
This is where it starts to make a distance from Panchayat. Jitendra Kumar’s web series thrives on focusing on the nitty-gritty of rural life; it is real yet sharp with its social commentary. The laughs are organic and situational. However, Amol Parashar’s Gram Chikitsalay turns into that distant cousin we talked about; it tries hard to become Panchayat but never dives into the depths of the village and health issues. So, despite genuine storytelling, it fails to connect!
Gram Chikitsalay Review: Last Words:
I think the idea of highlighting this web series as an extension of Panchayat was the worst decision one could have made. It clearly backfired! I wish I had witnessed a better version of Vinay Pathak in this web series, but he serves as a side dish. In fact, the web series takes a bizarre turn with Nurse Indu and her family issues taking the center stage for no reason! The web series is a bit underwhelming and does not deliver what it promises! Moreover, I am done with web series, staging them in some distant villages of MP, Jharkhand, or some other part of India, but all of them speaking in some accent or dialect of UP or Bihar! No, people, not everyone speaks this accented and easy Bhojpuri! Can we be better at research, please?!
2.5 stars!
For more such reviews, stay tuned to Koimoi.
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