Gullak is one of the most “Indian” shows one can come across in recent times. It smells, tastes and sounds exactly like what most of us are in this gorgeous, vibrant nation - bright colours, crowded streets, paint peeling off walls, splashes of saffron yellow and blue, temple walls and flowers, Holi and Diwali, endless cups of tea, crisp newspapers and pakoras when it rains.
Gullak is an ode to this India, the one of middle class people who cut a toothpaste tube down the middle to finish it, the ones who are no strangers to jugaad, the ones who don’t mind the broken drains and love stray dogs like their own.
In it’s third season, it does what most shows can’t - it gets better with each passing season. What, then is the secret? The poetic writing, the beautiful and accurate, attention to detail of the universe and set design? The writing? The acting? The direction? Luckily, here, it is all of the above and more.
A still from Gullak season 3.
Here, we meet the Mishra family, living in an Indian town that could be anywhere and nowhere at the same time, so Indian in its Indianness that we would do a double take and look for clues to see if it was the one near our place or the one where we live. Big bad guys aren’t threatening national security and some hero cop isn’t out there catching bad guys (unfortunately, for the most part in India, the police is only busy catching big bad guys, murderers, rapists and criminals only in the movies. In the real world? Mostly harassing young couples and beating up college students, but that’s not a conversation we’re ready for now, are we?)
There are no high stakes and terrorists, no apocalyptic futures and wars.
This is a slice-of-life, easy to watch, heartwarming show about everyday things - nosy neighbours, office politics, arranged marriages, school marks and money, of course.
The beauty of it lies in how everyday it is, how well the mundane is captured, making it out to be like a diary of our lives. In its slice of life flavour it is like Little Things, the beauty of this genre can lie in the urban and small town both, even though it has been explored hardly at all in India. When a son makes more money than you know what to do with or another gets such great marks that you have to now fret over his future - oh the struggles, the pain!
A still from the show.
The actors lend such flavour, such nuance and such a masterfully crafted on screen chemistry that it is impossible to believe they aren’t really related. Splendid acting, really. Geetanjali Kulkarni is a class apart, a talented actor who is yet to get her due and Jameel, Vaibhav and Harsh too are without any fault. Such a cast, each at the same level, come together only when the stars truly do align.
The writing, besides being good and engaging, has a poetic quality to it, as if something taken straight out of a collection of poems written on the ghats of Benares. Music to ones ears, is what it is.
The show also feels a bit like a throwback. They just don’t make shows like Sarabhai vs Sarabhai or Khichdi anymore, and if we go further back, nothing like those beautiful, family comedies like those of the 90’s. Star, I know you guys have all these shows and if you’re listening, we need to bring them back but until then, for a little family fun, middle class relatability and just a warm smile on your face, here is the Mishra family of Gullak, to wrap you up in the visual form of what a warm hug is. Perfect binge for this weekend (for whenever you’re done watching the IPL, that is). Gullak looks effortless, easy and breezy and that, is a testament to how difficult and laborious its creation must’ve been. Three cheers.
Gullak is streaming on SonyLiv.
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