‘Gram Chikitsalay’ Review: Amol Parashar and Akansha Ranjan Kapoor’s TVF Series Cannot Escape Its ‘Panchayat’ Hangover (LatestLY Exclusive)

'Gram Chikitsalay' Review: I think I’ve figured out a problem that’s currently affecting TVF (The Viral Fever). In the beginning, they made shows grounded in reality and humour - stories that were easily relatable to a middle-class audience while tapping into different demographics. Permanent Roommates focused on young couples and romance. Kota Factory spotlighted the struggles of IIT aspirants with a soft, motivational gaze. Panchayat explored the quirks of rural life through the lens of an urban outsider. These series brought TVF both critical and popular success, cultivating a devoted fanbase. TVF Pitchers Season 2 Ending Explained: 5 Questions Raised By the Finale That Naveen Kasturia, Ridhi Dogra's Show Needs to Answer in Season 3.

Honestly, I’ve never been trolled more for my reviews than when I published an unfavourable take on the previous season of Panchayat. Whether you're still a die-hard fan or not, it's hard to ignore the fact that TVF is now using the success formula of one show to replicate it elsewhere - even as the original content begins to stagnate and falter in quality. You could argue the same for Kota Factory (which has clearly been declining) and its Civil Services cousin, Aspirants.

A similar fate now seems to befall Panchayat. I’m sure it still commands a strong fanbase, but the writing has been slipping over the last two seasons. The wit and charm just aren’t on the same level as they were in the first. I bring up this idea of 'TVF fatigue' and Panchayat because we now have a new show, Gram Chikitsalay, which feels like a younger cousin trying so hard to imitate its elder sibling’s stylings that it struggles to carve out its own identity.

‘Gram Chikitsalay’ Review - The Plot

Gram Chikitsalay, directed by Rahul Pandey with a screenplay by Shreya Srivastava and Vaibhav Suman, follows Dr Prabhat (Amol Parashar), a young, idealistic doctor who is posted to the village of Bhatkandi as a medical officer. From day one, he’s faced with numerous challenges: the clinic is in a dilapidated state - there isn’t even a proper path to reach it, as the courtyard has been illegally converted into farmland.

Watch the Trailer of ‘Gram Chikitsalay’:

To make matters worse, the staff under him - Phutani (Anandeshwar Dwivedi), the compounder, and Gobind (Akash Makhija), the ward boy - are either incompetent or, in Phutani’s case, outright corrupt. Only nurse Indhu (Garima Vikrant Singh) shows any sense of responsibility, but an incident in episode three sours her working relationship with Prabhat.

Even after getting the clinic into some kind of working condition, Dr Prabhat faces a greater obstacle: the villagers don’t want his services. They’d rather go to the local quack, Chetak Kumar (Vinay Pathak), who googles symptoms before prescribing medicine.

‘Gram Chikitsalay’ Review - Too Much Panchayat DNA

Between Panchayat’s Abhishek and Gram Chikitsalay’s Prabhat, there’s a key difference: the latter is in Bhatkandi by choice. He’s fuelled by the naïve hope of transforming the world overnight - Swades is almost certainly his favourite film.

Yet he’s surrounded by characters and situations straight out of the Panchayat playbook, and that makes Gram Chikitsalay feel unsure of its footing from the very first episode. The tone, the use of understated, RK Laxman-inspired humour - it all feels familiar, but the wit doesn’t quite measure up to what Panchayat delivers. Panchayat Season 3 Review: Jitendra Kumar and Neena Gupta's TVF Series Loses Its Witty Flair in Struggle to Balance Satire and Sentiment.

Across its five episodes, Gram Chikitsalay veers more into serious territory than Panchayat did in its first season. That’s largely due to its subject matter: there’s a fair bit of ‘schooling’ going on, that is, Prabhat schooling his employees, and in turn, being schooled by Chetak Kumar for not understanding his patients before trying to treat them. That last bit is ironically funny, considering the show begins with a patient dying after being treated by Chetak. It raises a tricky question: are we really supposed to root for a quack just because he’s… more empathetic to his patients?

‘Gram Chikitsalay’ Review - Moments That Work

While Gram Chikitsalay may not be as funny as Panchayat, even in its muted comedic style, there are moments when it does shine. The political 'warfare' in the fourth episode delivers some genuine laughs, and the perpetually annoyed, often-drunk Ram Avtaar Singh (Akhileshwar Prasad Sinha) is a comic standout who helps keep you invested. The bright, warm frames by cinematographer Girish Kant also add a layer of optimism to the show’s otherwise subdued tone.

However, when Gram Chikitsalay leans into drama, it falters. The characters don’t get enough breathing room to evolve - likely a result of the limited five-episode runtime. Emotional beats are rushed, and some key relationships lack depth.

That said, the cast is solid, and they genuinely try to elevate the material. Amol Parashar brings credibility to the role of an idealistic doctor constantly facing reality checks. Anandeshwar Dwivedi and Akash Makhija share an easy, if unrefined, camaraderie - though their characters’ resemblance to Panchayat’s supporting cast only reinforces that lingering sense of déjà vu.

Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, playing a fellow medical officer from another village, does well with the limited screen time she gets. I wish Vinay Pathak had more scenes; he’s excellent in the brief moments he's given. Garima Vikrant Singh is competent as nurse Indhu, and Santoo Kumar is decent as her son.

‘Gram Chikitsalay’ Review - Final Thoughts

Gram Chikitsalay feels like a show stuck in the shadow of a more successful sibling. It has the right intentions and an engaging premise, but it struggles to find a distinct voice, weighed down by inevitable comparisons. There’s potential here, but the series needs to stop borrowing from the Panchayat playbook and start writing its own. Gram Chikitsalay is streaming on Prime Video.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 09, 2025 01:48 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).