Gulmohar Movie Review: Manoj Bajpayee, Simran’s Compelling Performances Propel This Uneven Family Drama Forward (LatestLY Exclusive)
Gulmohar Movie Review: Gulmohar, directed by Rahul V Chittella, is said to be a tribute to his mentor, acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair. There are echoes of one of Mira Nair’s most well-known films, Monsoon Wedding, in this. Gulmohar, unlike the celebrated Monsoon Wedding, avoids uncomfortable and shocking revelations like child abuse and, save for a kiss in a flashback scene, keeps it mostly chaste. What drives the plot here is how the already strained relationships in a house become even more difficult when confronted with a relic from the past. Gulmohar: Did You Know Sharmila Tagore Said Yes Within 3–4 Days of Reading the Script?
The well-to-do Batras of Gulmohar Villa in South Delhi are gearing up for a new chapter in their home. We find out about it in the first scene itself which takes place at a house party, where we learn that the matriarch Kusum (Sharmila Tagore) has sold the villa to a developer. Her only son, Arun (Manoj Bajpayee), is planning to relocate the family to a large flat in another part of town. However, two family members do not intend to accompany him there to his disappointment.
One is his son Aditya (Suraj Sharma), who, much to his father’s chagrin, wants to stand on his own feet through his startup. He receives encouragement from his understanding, financially better-off wife Divya (Kaveri Seth), but he is losing faith in himself when he couldn’t find an investor.
Kusum has her own set of plans. To the surprise of her family and friends, she announces at the end of the party that she has purchased a cottage in Puducherry and will be relocating there. But she has a request. Even though packers are coming in the next day, the family should stay together in this house for four more days until Holi arrives.
Another significant character in this drama is Arun’s wife Indu (Simran Bagga), who is dealing with the prickly equations of her family members, particularly her husband and son, as well as the burdensome duties of overseeing the house-moving duties. Around the halfway point, she also discovers a major Batra secret, which sets the main plot in motion. Amrita (Utsavi Jha), her youngest college-bound daughter, is caught in a love triangle of her own.
Watch the Trailer of Gulmohar:
The first half of Gulmohar nicely establishes the premise and characters, and I could easily connect with most of them. Including Sudhakar (Amol Palekar), Kusum’s prickly and bigoted brother-in-law, who reminds you of that uncle wanting to interfere in every family matter and then looks down upon you, muttering ‘young generation’.
I loved the visual allegory that Rahul brings in the film when the house is stripped of its possessions, the protective layering around the relationships is also getting stripped off. A shattered mirror is followed by a scene in which Indu and Arun have their own reality-shattering revelation. Arun’s desire to live up to his father’s legacy, as well as his own son’s desire to be free of his father’s shadow, are both compelling enough character arcs.
Amrita’s romantic quandary and her journey of self-acceptance, on the other hand, felt more of tokenism because it feels saddled upon to the other plotlines and isn’t explored to its necessary impact. But, yes, that track strengthens her relationship with her grandmother, allowing Kusum to share some fascinating insights into her own and her family’s lives. OTT Releases Of The Week: Manoj Bajpayee, Sharmila Tagore’s Gulmohar, Pedro Pascal’s The Mandalorian Season 3 on Disney+ Hotstar & More.
Even when the focus shifts away from the Batras, the film manages to keep you captivated. There’s also a subplot between Batras’ domestic help Reshma (Malayalam actress Santhy Balachandran) and the guard (Jatin Goswami), which feels cute at first but… okay, I’ll get to it later. Another intriguing scene that takes place away from the Batras is a dinner table conversation at Sudhakar’s house, which highlights the rising opportunistic obsession for conservatism among the youth, as well as the moral complications.
So far, so good. So when the mid-film twist occurs, I expected Gulmohar to continue improving. The twist isn’t as earth-shattering or disturbing to the audience as it is to Arun, forcing him to reevaluate and face his own truth while deepening the cracks in the familial equations.
However, the drama becomes more languid in the process, and the dialogues, which were previously working so well, become artificially philosophical, making the scenes even more contrived. One such instance is when Kusum meets Jeetendra at her jogging park after an altercation, and the conversation between them feels awkward. The one scene that doesn’t feel otherwise is when Indu confronts her distraught husband in his hotel room, throwing away the water bottle he gives her, which felt quite relatable, and Simran – who was scene-stealing in every previous scene – is especially outstanding in that scene.
The change in events also allows the performer Manoj Bajpayee to shine the brightest. Watch him in the scene where Arun reads his father’s letter aloud to his family members, or when he confronts his own past that he has been avoiding, and it’s difficult not to fight back tears. Allowing Arun’s arc to strengthen, causing Bajpayee to outperform himself, is a great plot decision, but it comes with its own set of issues. It allows the other subplots to seek out weaker, hastily-done resolutions – such as Aditya’s startup problems and Reshma-subdued Jatin’s romance – just so the Batras can have one good moment to come together and celebrate in the end. Even Aditya’s right-wing cousin has an unexplained turnaround, and I have no clue why. Hum Saath Saath Hain effect, eh?
By the way, the songs are quite lovely. I also liked the placement of certain plot motifs that play well ahead, such as Arun’s shaking hand when he is worried, or Reshma’s constant placement of a glass of water near Sudhakar that the bigoted man will not touch.
However, I thought it was an unnecessary scene in the film for Arun to slap his employee. I understand the character’s current inner turmoil, as well as the trigger that prompted him to do so. However, that action reeks of classism, and it clashes with the fact that Gulmohar wants us to feel sorry for him. Reminded me of that moment when some of the celebs tried to ‘console’ Will Smith after he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars.
Final Thoughts
Yes, I was disappointed with Gulmohar for falling short of my expectations in the second half in trying to tie up its connective threads and not doing a good job of packing them up. Despite these flaws, Gulmohar is an emotionally engaging watch, with outstanding performances from the cast, particularly Bajpayee and Simran, and touching moments in between. Gulmohar is now available on Disney+ Hotstar.
(The above story first appeared on Today News 24 on Mar 03, 2023 12:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website todaynews24.top).
