Title: Gullak Season 5
Directors: Abhay Raut & Shreyansh Pandey
Cast: Jameel Khan, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Harsh Mayar Anant V Joshi, Sunita Rajwar, Shivankit Singh Parihar, Gopal Dutt, Manuj Sharma, Helly Shah
Where: Sony LIV
Rating: 3 Stars
Buoyed by the success of the first season in 2019, the makers of Gullak decided to create subsequent seasons, which achieved equal success. The makers are now back with the show’s fifth season. What remains to be seen is whether this season too will be as successful as its predecessors or if it will turn out to be ‘bad luck’ for ‘Gullak’, let's find out!
The fifth season is divided into seven entertaining episodes. The first episode starts off with a day in the life of the Mishra family, which consists of Santosh Mishra (Jameel Khan), Shanti Mishra (Geetanjali Kulkarni) and Annu Mishra (Anantvijay Joshi). Every episode of the seven-part series mirrors everyday life and the manner in which the common man deals with it and lives with it … with a sprinkle of smile and laughter. In simple words, the day-to-day incidents find their place in these episodes. What the entire incidents culminate into towards the end is what gets revealed eventually in the show.
Actors’ Performance
Just like the previous seasons, this season too sees Jameel Khan and Geetanjali Kulkarni leading from the front. The seamless conviction with which the duo portrays their respective characters is really praiseworthy—so much so that it becomes nearly impossible to think of anyone else replacing them.
Talking about replacement, there’s Anant V Joshi, who replaces Vaibhav Raj Gupta as Anand 'Annu' Mishra. Anant, who was appreciated for his role in ‘Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi’, shows his versatility as an actor in Gullak season five. Rest of the actors ably carry the series with utmost conviction. Amid them all, a special mention goes to Shivankit Singh Parihar aka the ‘voice’ of Gullak.
Direction, Music and Aesthetics
The passion with which the director duo Abhay Raut and Shreyansh Pandey have approached Gullak Season 5 is totally commendable and it shows in almost every frame. Keeping relatability at the centre, this duo has managed to draw a circle of life around their characters in the show. Barring a bunch of scenes in totality, this director duo more or less successfully shines with the entire series.
The background score (Arabinda Neog) is not just pleasant to the ears, but also convincingly blends with the narrative (Shreyansh Pandey, Vidit Tripathi). While the dialogues are simple, a sprinkle of memorable one-liners would have upped the screenplay a bit.
Amidst all this, one does feel the utmost need for editing, mostly in the third, fourth and sixth episodes. On the other hand, the cinematography is simple, which adds value to the show’s simplicity.
FPJ Verdict
One can surely watch this entire series without a doubt. It’s the feel-good factor in addition to the slice of life approach by the makers, which will work in the show's favour.
