Gram Chikitsalay 2 review: Season 2 of this rural-com returns with its low stakes, lo-fi storytelling, in which the TVF mandate– keep it cosy, bro– stays comfortably uppermost.
Gram Chikitsalay 2 review: Gram Chikitsalay Season 2 is a heartfelt rural comedy-drama from The Viral Fever (TVF).Gram Chikitsalay 2 review: Season 2 of this rural-com returns with its low stakes, lo-fi storytelling, in which the TVF mandate– keep it cosy, bro– stays comfortably uppermost. No surprises then that our idealistic doctor stays the course, even as the clashes between the twain– the citified outsider and the set-in-their-ways villagers– continue. Also back in harness are his little unit of compounder, nurse and helpers, the colleague-turning-into-friendly-companion, the rival local quack, and the gaonwalas themselves, slowly if reluctantly, understanding the value of a real ‘daaktar saab’ who can actually save lives. As is the case with everything TVF, the struggle is to create characters with quirk and credibility, and often the former does the heavy-lifting more than anything else. But given that the first season has set the scene, acquainting us with the residents and their emphasised accents in fictionalised Bhatkandi, this time around we wait for things to move forward. So compounder Phutani (Anandeshwar Dwivedi) will come late because his wife has taken off to the maikaa, and he needs to do things for himself. Those around him– wardboy Govind (Akash Makhija), cleaner Dhelu (Kartikay Raj)– nod in perfect understanding. It doesn’t matter if the inspection team to judge the efficacy of the PHC (primary health centre), can swoop in anytime: if Govind needs to submit to a ‘pakadua vivaah’, then everything else needs to come to a standstill. The solid presence of Dr Gargi (Akansha Ranjan Kapoor) is a continuing asset to the show (five easily digestible episodes, about 30 minutes each), as she helps the straight-laced Dr Prabhat Sinha (Amol Parasher) loosen up, and understand the rhythms of rural households. It’s always a pleasure to watch the seasoned Vinay Pathak, as he busies himself trying to save his practice as well as sending a daughter off to medical college to earn an actual degree. Watch Gram Chikitsalay 2 trailer here: The new addition of the corrupt official (Dinesh Lal Yadav) sitting on a stack of essential medicine is a nod to the real difficulties that impede the smooth functioning of these centres, but writers Vaibhav Suman and Shreya Shrivastava soften the edges by revealing his human face: anything more– class is fine, and sure, we’ll touch gently upon patriarchy and gender politics, but let’s stay far away from caste and religion– would go against the grain of the show. The scenes created to showcase characters shooting the breeze– a wheelchair has been dragged out in the open to create a makeshift chair, as a threesome gossip about the latest goings-on — build in nothing more than slack. The appearance of two characters from the ‘Panchayat’ series seems more like a gimmick than anything else, hoping that its popularity will rub off here. The time has come for show-runners to realise that this kind of time-fill is no longer necessary; if you have confidence in your material, the padding is superfluous.Story continues below this ad What redeems Gram Chikitsalay 2 is a couple of strong elements created around two women, whose individual troubles are used to debunk myths around epilepsy, and widowhood, both of which can be deeply isolating. It’s nice that they are woven in not merely as learning boards (joota mat sunghao, usse kuch nahin hota), but telling plot-points: the woman with epilepsy is shown as intelligent, quick about her wits; the widow, raising her son on her own, confesses that she hasn’t fought against her being labelled a ‘daayan’ because it kept the wolves at bay. But was showing her as unkempt and straggly-haired unnecessary? If you are advocating acceptance, then why this stereotypical look? Amol Parasher has grown into his role, and while he shares the screen with everyone else, it is his Prabhat, refusing to give in, and give up, which is the
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