Gulmohar is the latest family drama film released on Disney+ Hotstar on 3rd March 2023. The film is directed by Rahul V. Chittella and the screenplay is co-written with Arpita Mukherjee. Cinematography is done by Eeshit Narain and produced by Vikesh Bhutani, Rahul Chittella and Shujaat Saudagar. It has a runtime of about 2 hours and 11 minutes.
The cast of the film includes Manoj Bajpayee as Arun Batra, Sharmila Tagore as Kusum Batra, Amol Palekar as Sudhakar, Suraj Sharma as Aditya, Kaveri Seth as Divya, Nargis Nandal as Payal, Tripti Sahu as Surekha, Simran as Indu, Utsavi Jha as Amrita Batra, Varun Narayana as Sameer and Gandharv Dewan as Irfan.
Disney+ Hotstar’s description of the film reads:
Batra family has just four days left to vacate their house of 34 years. Amidst the mayhem, and uncertainties of the future, insecurities and secrets surface.
-Gulmohar Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-
The film starts with all of the Batra family having a get-together for the last time before they all move from the Gulmohar villa. With just four days left to vacate the 34-year-old house, they explore the meaning of family and home. As they question if it is the house that keeps a family together or if it’s the people.
While Arun Batra, played by Manoj Bajpayee is Kusum Batra’s (Sharmila Tagore) son and was thinking that his mother is also moving with him to their new penthouse in Gurugram. But the matriarch of the family had other plans and announces that she has bought a house in Pondicherry instead & would like to live there by herself.
This comes as a big shock to the family and thus decide to celebrate the festival of Holi together in their family house before parting ways. On the surface, it looks like a big happy family but as you take a closer look, we find that there are many differences and cracks in every relationship.
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Arun doesn’t really have a good relationship with his son Aditya and his decision to live on his own, when they move doesn’t sit well with the father. Throughout the film, Arun is always trying to keep everyone together and be a filial son but when you get to know his back story, everything falls into place and gives a tinge of pain that looms over till the end.
There are very few films that make you think – Oh I am liking this, within the first few minutes and Gulmohar had that effect on me. What makes it great is how every character has something going on for them and we get to see each of them having a growth or arc in their storylines. Instead of going on a single track and filling it with side plotlines, every character can be a main character and dealt with careful details.
Along with the story the music whether diegetic or non-diegetic adds beautifully to the emotions of the story. At crucial moments the music gets you in the feels and even conveys what may not be expressed in mere words. And talking about the story there’s definitely a lot to unpack and every moment carries some information that tells you more about the kind of relationships they have & the life they have lived so far.
Moving on to the actors, Manoj Bajpayee has to be commended for portraying a role with such delicacy and vulnerability that might make you shed some tears. Along with veterans like Tagore and Amol Palekar, you know it can’t go wrong. A special mention to Suraj Sharma as well, whose character of a person trying to make a name and make their family proud, is something that can be found relatable by many and portrayed by him to a T.
Final Thoughts: Gulmohar
The film is a definite watch, as stories that might move you are a rare sight nowadays. But it isn’t without a few things that could have been done away with. While I understand the intention to create layers in characters, however, taking all the modern issues and putting them in one story felt a bit much.
The youngest daughter doesn’t really need to be queer. Even if she wasn’t and had general issues in her relationship, the matriarch could still be of help to her in giving advice. The same goes for the matriarch, while I appreciate her back story but it wasn’t really required, it does tie up the end of why she wants to move to Pondicherry but the main plot is about Arun and his life complexities.
While it was refreshing to see that the extended family wasn’t all shown in a negative light and was fairly realistic in how things actually are in big families. Overall, it’s a beautiful story nonetheless and comes very close to perfection.
Gulmohar is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
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