Gullak Season 4 Review: Mishra family never fails to mesmerize but this time narrative fails to leave any impact
Undekhi Season 3 Web Series Rating: 3 Stars
Watched Gullak Season 4 Web Series on Sony LIV. So, let’s analyze the cast, release date, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this web series.
Cast: Jameel Khan, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vaibhav Raj Gupta, Helly Shah, Harsh Mayar and Sunita Rajwar
Director: Shreyansh Pandey
Release Date: 7th June 2024 on Sony LIV
Duration: 5 Episodes/ 25 Minutes
Story: Season 4 kicks off with Santosh Mishra (Jameel Khan) and Shanti Mishra (Geetanjali Kulkarni) indulging in some familiar husband-wife banter that establishes their respective roles in the household. He is the builder and protector of the house, while she is the caretaker and provider.
Sons Anand, aka Annu (Vaibhav Raj Gupta) and Aman (Harsh Mayar) are on new thresholds in their personal lives. As always, the Mishra parivar must suffer through their misfortunes and celebrate their resilience like most middle-class families do.
On the cusp of adulthood, Aman craves freedom, aspires to be a novelist and no longer wants to be handheld by his parents. At the mercy of a toxic boss, Anand channels his angst at work productively.
Positives
1. Performances
2. Direction
3. Cinematography
4. Dialogues
Negatives
1. Length
2. Story
3. Screenplay
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this web-series, planned to watch this series on premiere day as loved the trailer and liked all 3 previous seasons of this series.
The Mishra family is back, navigating the intricate paths of adulting and parenting, where every day is a blend of chaos, laughter, and invaluable lessons.
Gullak centering on a family of four, is very much an accurate embodiment of middle-class India. As the Mishra family navigates the ups and downs of life, they remind us that even in the most ordinary of lives, there is something extraordinary to be found. The relatability of ‘Gullak’ makes it an impressive show. Even as the fourth season involves drama like the previous installments, it never goes over the top or gets too melodramatic. Apart from the writing, the chemistry of the cast is one of the strongest features of the show. With the parents having established their masterclass in the first two episodes, the baton gets handed to the sons. In the next episode, the Mishras embark on a process of organization and rejuvenation. They have to get rid of the old junk in the house. But knowing the Mishras, the simple task of selling old possessions to the kabadiwala turns out to be a masaledar task. Aman (Harsh Mayar) has his own machinations that aren’t approved by others in the family. And this is where Anand and Aman’s dynamics come to the fore; their conflicts and experiences allow both Vaibhav and Harsh to excel in their respective performances. The earthen money bank, aka Gullak (voiced by Shivankit Singh Parihar), returns as the narrator of these tales, maintaining the series’ realism.
Onwards in the final two episodes of Gullak Season 4, Aman and Anand traverse into new challenges and experiences as their parents Santosh and Shanti either give their nod of approval or their headshake of distrust. Aman, the younger son with aspirations of turning into a novelist, finds himself in a precarious position with a friend and his date. While Anand, whose new job of being a medical representative is testing his patience, must find the restraint and be a supportive elder brother as well, Needless to say, by the end of the season, the sons will well and truly take over the dramatic mantle from their parents and end Season 4 on a proverbial high.
On the flipside, when you’re portraying reality as it should be, you don’t want to sass things up with spice and style, and director Shreyansh Pandey and writer Vidit Tripathi don’t bother with shaking things up. As a result, most of the drama in Season 4 seems plausible but not very exciting. But that’s more of a complaint than a valid appraisal. It feels like the show has not progressed the way it should have this season. It feels like a regular family drama with no conflict. The conflict is only brought out in the climax which makes the entire season fall like a domino. The writing no longer feels simple and impactful, it feels patronizing. The season seems too short with just 5 episodes that get over in a jiffy. There was scope to take Annu’s story further and show more of Helly Shah and his chemistry but guess the makers have kept it for the next season. Overall, in all fairness, the new season of Gullak makes for a compelling watch. Just don’t compare it to the highs of the previous seasons. Further, the show retains freshness and takes the narrative to some serious issues while lacking the fun of the initial two seasons. Overall, these half-hour episodes of every middle-class ki kahani are written in the simplest manner, which gets better with every season, making it a delightful watch. My view on this series Recommended
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