What Is the Story About?
As Santosh Mishra and Shanti Mishra continue to run the show at the Mishra household, their sons – Anand and Aman – are finding their feet in life. On the cusp of adulthood, Aman craves freedom, aspires to be a novelist and no longer wants to be handheld by his parents. At the mercy of a toxic boss, Anand channels his angst at work productively.
Performances?
Gullak is a walk in the park for Jameel Khan and Geetanjali Kulkarni, more so that it’s the fourth time they play the Mishras in the series. The compact, well-crafted show yet again exploits the strengths and experience of the veterans to the fullest. The younger crop of actors – Harsh Mayar and Vaibhav Raj Gupta – bring enough variety to the mix with their contrasting acting styles.
Sunita Rajwar continues exactly from where she left off after her sparkling performance in Panchayat. Saad Bilgrami, Amarjeet Singh, Ghanshyam Garg and Manuj Sharma don’t let the brief screen time come in the way of their fine portrayals.
Analysis
As life moves on frenetically and you’re constantly reminded that ‘change is the only constant’, it’s comforting to know how a few things still don’t get swept away by the whirlpool of time. They’re like safe spaces in the world that make you feel at home, something along the lines of Gullak. The show, centring on a family of four, is very much an accurate embodiment of middle-class India.
Whenever you fear that Gullak’s makers may run out of steam to sustain its feel-good vibe, they continue to prove that they’re cut from a different cloth than their filmmaking counterparts, who look for trivial excuses to milk a show’s popularity across multiple seasons. Gullak’s fourth season is a natural extension of its universe, encapsulating several changes in the Mishra household.
This instalment primarily focuses on the transition of the young boys into adults, while the parents gradually begin to take a backseat in household decisions. The Mishras receive a notice from the local municipality concerning their house, grapple with a chain-snatching incident, do away with old stuff, find uncanny ways to handle their mood swings and in the end, all’s still well.
The show begins with a smart one-liner, comparing husbands to walls and referring to women as embellishments that complete the house, directing us to the family’s tryst with a corrupt government official. For someone working in the government himself, Santosh Mishra awkwardly bribes the official to get his work done. The smart negotiation between the two is a major highlight of the episode, even as the creators’ intent behind the scene is not clearly established.
Gullak is most memorable during Shanti’s chain-snatching incident, where the Mishras gather the courage to report the theft at a police station. While the men attempt to steal the thunder from Shanti, a female cop rightly puts them in their place and forges an unexpected sisterhood with her. It’s a scene that reinstates one’s faith in the system and suggests citizen participation to establish a fair, just society.
Even the nosy neighbour with a good heart, ‘Bittu ki mummy’ gets scope to shine as she tricks the Mishras into buying her murabbas, finds silly excuses to indulge in conversations but also stands up for them in the need of the hour. On a domestic level, this season hilariously mirrors a common man’s struggle to part with vintage household items. Don’t miss the scene where the Kabadiwala sings his trademark tune to announce his arrival in the street.
The pampered Aman poses ‘teenager’ tantrums, spars with his brother and parents, puts his writing skills to use for a love letter and grumbles as he’s expected to buy vegetables for the house. Anand, meanwhile comes of age, tries to be the responsible brother and finds a knack to deal with a toxic boss. The young men’s travails with life and their contrasting conflicts keep you glued. The finale aptly portrays a man’s awkwardness in displaying affection and handling his ego.
Despite the limited bandwidth of the Gullak universe, it’s to the credit of the writer Vidit Pandey that he finds new ways to offer a glimpse of old-world charm in a modern-day setting. A major surprise this time is a subplot around an adult novel, once owned by Shanti, that Aman secretly places in his bag. It silently throws a hint about Shanti’s past, her choices, without conveying the obvious. Director Shreyansh Pandey’s mettle, in sensitively dealing with the show’s micro and macro-level issues, is indeed commendable.
Music and Other Departments?
Arabinda Neog’s background score is the silent spectator in the show that nudges the story forward unobtrusively, keeping the soul of its ambience intact. Nikhil Arolkar’s cinematography captures the liveliness of the Mishra household and small-town India with a fondness and a compelling sense of nostalgia. Prashanth Ramachandran’s crisply edited episodes make for comfy viewing, with a sharp narrative that’s syrupy and still doesn’t beat around the bush.
Highlights?
Sparkling performances Authentic portrayal of middle-class life in small-town India Compact, flavourful writing
Drawbacks?
The ‘same same but different’ feeling with the treatment
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
A resounding yes
Gullak Season 4 Review by Binged Bureau
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