What Is the Story About?
Anuj and Ritu’s plans to study together in Ahmedabad don’t take off. While Anuj develops an interest in acting while studying engineering in Bhopal, Ritu finds a capable mentor in Roshni, pursuing her photography dreams in Ahmedabad. Amidst trivial tiffs, ambiguities and career conflicts, the couple navigates several challenges in a long-distance relationship.
Performances?
Vishesh Bansal makes appreciable progress from a child artiste to a mature, thinking actor, holding his own in front of the camera with the right mix of charm, sincerity and mettle. Besides the good looks, Ashlesha Thakur plays the modern-day, independent, ambitious girl with a measuredness, tackling many ambiguities with love and career.
All the on-screen parents – from Meenal Kapoor to Abhay Joshi to Cindrella D’ Cruz approach their characters with a certain warmth and let them grow on the viewer. The supporting cast, comprising Navneet Srivastava, Tushar Shahi, Shubham Kumar, Gargi Datar, Megha Mathur and Pooja Pandey, make a mark within the scope of their brief roles.
Analysis
Very few genres can be as heartwarming and universally appealing as coming-of-age tales. They can be adapted and revisited across various age groups, locations and backdrops and when made well, the aftertaste is unmatched. After exploring teenage love in Bhopal in the first season, Gutur Gu now moves ahead to tackle challenges within long-distance relationships and striking a balance between love and career.
Anuj and Ritu make a desperate effort to pursue their graduation together in Ahmedabad. While destiny has other ideas, they promise to keep in touch. The season takes a mature turn in comparison to its predecessor, focusing on Anuj’s acting dreams and Ritu’s passion for photography, as they hold onto their love across different cities. Of course, there are misunderstandings and insecurities and they try to rise above them.
The writing and the treatment are very today in their vibe, where parents treat their kids like friends, guiding them along the way, holding mature conversations and trusting children to make decisions for themselves. The drama predominantly deals with the highs and lows in the protagonist’s lives, where they call the shots, rise, fall and stand by one another, not letting anything come in the way of their love.
Anuj’s life is easily more colourful between the two. He accidentally tries his hand at acting, realises he’s good at it, nearly falls in love with a senior and struggles to communicate his interests with his parents. His friends offer newer tricks to retain the fizz in his love life (though he doesn’t believe in them). Despite many changes in his life, Anuj works towards maintaining transparency in his relationship with Ritu.
Ritu is more surefooted than Anuj about her career and makes considerable progress with photography under a stint with a professional. Though she’s slightly envious of Anuj’s growing affinity towards Shivangi, she doesn’t let it cloud her trust in him. Both Anuj and Ritu get extra cautious with their relationship due to long-distance, but eventually set themselves free and give each other the space to grow.
Shows like Gutar Gu are less about the story and more about the performances and the treatment. Saqib Pandor lets the show and his characters evolve well, providing viewers with all the necessary ingredients for a teenage romance. The segments where Ritu supports Anuj’s dreams, even when her career isn’t coasting and how they communicate each other’s desires honestly, deserve considerable praise.
The conversation between Ritu’s mother and her daughter on why it’s best to prioritise themselves over their relationship is the pick of the lot. The scenes between Anuj and his supportive younger brother are a breath of fresh air. The changing equation between Anuj and his father, where the latter begins to treat his son like an adult, stands out as well.
Gutur Gu 2 lets both the characters go through their motions. While following the conventional structure of most teenage romances, it moves beyond done-to-death stereotypes with gender and captures several welcoming changes in modern-day relationships. With crisp episodes spanning three hours, the season is breezy, retaining the feel-good vibe of the original and also offering something new for audiences.
Music and Other Departments?
Composer Gaurav Chatterji lets the narrative flow seamlessly with the warm hug of a music score. Cinematographer Sriram Ganapathy gets ample scope to prove his worth with the lively, flashy colour palette, as the characters hop from one city to the other, and alternate across various backdrops. Gunjan Saxena’s screenplay is the glue that holds the show together – there’s nothing overly mushy or frothy about it. Though in the feel-good space, a viewer’s ability to tolerate the saccharine elements is respected well.
Highlights?
Performances of the leads
Refreshing writing, treatment
Crisp and engaging
Drawbacks?
Subscribes to stereotypes occasionally
Too conscious of being in the ‘feel-good’ space
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
If teenage romances are your forte, go for it
Gutar Gu Season 2 Series Review by Binged Bureau
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