Gulmohar Review: Manoj Bajpayee, Sharmila Tagore-starrer is a milder version of Kapoor & Sons but somehow holds individuality

Director: Rahul V. Chittella

Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Sharmila Tagore, Simran, Suraj Sharma, Amol Palekar, and others

Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar

Rating: 3 stars

The days are gone when Yash Chopra and Karan Johar helmed family sagas which were in fashion — the festivals, naach-gaana, over-traditional characters, melodrama and grandeur were integral parts of the narrative. Although director Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do (2015) changed the whole ballgame by showcasing the complexities of a family in an urban setting.

But, as we were stepping towards more realistic cinema back in the day, it was filmmaker Shakun Batra, who changed the ecosystem for telling a family story with Kapoor & Sons (2016). His solid writing and portrayal of subdued emotions became a talking point. From infidelity to same-sex relationships, Shakun pushed boundaries in every aspect of filmmaking.

Director Rahul V. Chittella brings a heartwarming tale of the Batra family set in Delhi, which tries too hard to find its own way of evoking emotions. It somehow manages to get there also, but Gulmohar still struggles to find its identity. Rahul definitely has the vision to tackle a subject like this but it somewhere mirrors Shakun’s idea of family drama. 

Kusum (Sharmila Tagore) announces her shift to Pondicherry all by herself that doesn’t go well with her son Arun (Manoj Bajpayee), daughter-in-law Indu (Simran), and younger brother-in-law Sudhakar (Amol Palekar). The Batra family faces more turbulence when Arun finds out that he is an adopted son and the will of his late father isn’t in his favour.

The beauty of Gulmohar is its subplots floating parallel to the core story but it is again not a new concept — a hardworking adopted son, who looked up to his dead father breaks down once he meets with the harsh realities, his son Aditya (Suraj Sharma), a jobless young entrepreneur, wants to move out of Gulmohar Villa with his working wife isn’t really in good books with his own father, the younger daughter Amu (Utsavi Jha), an aspiring singer, suppresses her sexuality with the family and is in a so-called straight relationship with her boyfriend.

Rahul doesn't restrict his world to merely the Batra family. He wastes his runtime in adding a secret relationship between their cook Reshma (Santhy) and watchman played by the talented Jatin Goswami to his screenplay. He doesn’t stop there, he even infuses jealousy and an entire track of a triangle love story (contractor being the second guy) which could have been easily avoidable. A scene where Indu is on phone with Arun while movers and packers are doing their job is of the same quality as the iconic plumber scene in Kapoor & Sons but has a lesser impact than the latter. 

Is there anything Manoj can’t do? He is phenomenal as Arun Batra. His pauses and pain are a depiction of a son in the household. Simran gives immense life to Indu. Suraj, Jatin, Santhy and Utsavi do justice to their roles. Sharmila Tagore (78), who marks her comeback after aeons is warm on-screen. Barring her cued dialogue delivery, she brings a smile to the face. Gandharv Dewan is in a miss-in-a-blink role. 

Overall, Gulmohar is an easy-breezy family drama you can savour this weekend but don’t expect anything extraordinary. A few scenes may jolt you, but they transport you to Shakun’s film.