Amol Parashar on Gram Chikitsalay being compared to Panchayat: 'We have found our own standing'

Why does Amol Parashar seamlessly blend with Dr Prabhat his character from Gram Chikitsalay Because they both seem grounded and refreshingly honest He is deeply connected to his roots and finding joy in the little things is another reason why they seem similar As the Prime Video series returns with its second season the actor talks to midday about finding the showrsquos own identity beyond inevitable comparisons with Panchayat why stories about good people still matter and stepping out of Chitvanrsquos long shadowExcerpts from the interviewYour character Dr Prabhat experiences a culture shock moving to a rural setup Was it a culture shock for you as an actorNot as much For the sake of the storytelling wersquove shown him as someone who has never stepped inside a village But thatrsquos not the case with me in real life I have relatives who live in rural areas My grandmother used to live in a village and we would often go there during the summer holidays My uncle still lives in a village on the Jaipur highway While I am unable to go there as often now I was there recently for a weddingJitendra Kumar in blue in lsquoPanchayatrsquoThe show tackles corruption poor medical infrastructure and systemic inefficiencies How much of that was new information for youNone of these things are industryspecific We all know the inefficiencies of our system Some of us choose to look at it and call it for what it is Some choose to look away and pretend that everything is perfect But deep down we all know it is not I also believe there is a lot of scope for improvement Thatrsquos why people relate to the story I donrsquot think anyone in the audience will ask lsquoGhoos kya hota hairsquoThe rural setting invites comparisons with Panchayat How did you ensure Dr Prabhat felt like a different characterThis is something we were aware might happen more for the show than for us as actors because everyone has their own style and personality I believe there is a difference at the character level While both stories begin with a city boy arriving in a village their motivations are different Dr Prabhat has chosen to be there while Jeetursquos Jitendra Kumarrsquos character wants to leave So I wasnrsquot worried about comparisons By season two we have found our own standingAmol Prashar as Chitvan left in lsquoTriplingrsquoAfter the first season several medical professionals reached out to you Did any of those conversations influence the performance in season twoNo I donrsquot remember that What made me happy was receiving messages from people facing the choice between bending to the system or sticking to their values who were inspired by the story Everybody knows itrsquos a fictional character But it gives you a lens of what is possible Besides entertainment stories are also supposed to imbibe values in society Over time we have stopped telling stories of just plain good people because it was considered boring Gram Chikitsalay is an example that a story about an aspirational protagonist can still be entertainingFor years people associated you with Chitvan from Tripling Has that changed nowI think some people not many are probably discovering Chitvan through Prabhat Most people know Tripling or Chitvan or at least know the song even if they havenrsquot seen the show Some people are saying they like Prabhat more while others still prefer Chitvan But the perception is shifting As a character and as a show there is no longer the shadow of a previous role There is also a niche audience that remembers me as Bhagat Singh from Sardar Udham 2021Amol Parashar as Dr Prabhat in lsquoGram Chikitsalayrsquo10Number of years since lsquoTriplingrsquo first releasedBack to the stageAfter nearly a decade away from theatre Amol Parashar returned to it with the play lsquoBesharam Aadmirsquo ldquoIt had been around eight to nine years The whole story started from the stage after I left my job I used to miss it I just didnrsquot know how to make it happen With film and series schedules making ensemble theatre difficult the only way to do it is to create a oneman show I feel your instinct gets trained by direct and unfiltered feedback It is a nice way to connect and have conversations with people after the showrdquo