There are films that manage to stay with us and series which talk about a reality we are unaware of since we (mainly middle-class Indians) are usually trained to get a government job and hope for a bright, secure, future. Gullak reflects one such Mishra family which is bound by the idea of studies, UPSC, SSC, and other government-based competitive exams.
That's why, every object in Gullak plays a major role in annoying the Mishra family; be it the rusty old pump, or the rusty gate which is kept on the roof of the house. Everything in a middle-class household is about competition. Which son is better, which father has the best bike, which son managed to crack the UPSC this year, and the story goes on.
Gullak storyline
The story of this Indian middle-class family consists of a homemaker mother, a busy father, a bodybuilder brother and the intelligent but dim-witted younger brother. When the son is unable to arrive on time, everyone in the house gets worried and wonders whether or not to buy a personal vehicle for transport. When there's a shortage of paratha, the mother gives up her share. While women may call it good housekeeping, the men may term the same responsibilities as fiscal deficit.
Directed by Amrit Raj Gupta and written by Nikhil Vijay, the show is centered around a bickering family, each of whom gets annoyed by the look of the old and rusting house, that's where the humour rests in this TVF web series.
The narrator is an earthen piggy bank, who records every moment of dispute that happens in the family. Gullak explores the beauty of mediocrity and has a strong dosage of a reality check. The elder son Annu (Vaibhav Raj Gupta) is 22, unemployed and fails to crack SSLC, younger son Aman (Harsh Mayar) is a school-going child.
Despite being the younger child, he happens to be the ray of hope for the family. As a sibling, he alternates between being his elder brother's confidante and arch-enemy. When the younger sibling does not get access to the remote, he has the harshest things to say to the elder brother who has been branded as the failure but silently. Most importantly, the father, the mother, the sons are not aware of the concept of low volume, hence they scream at the top of their lungs. So even when they compliment each other, it sounds as if they have some complaint.
There's nothing life-changing about the six-episodes of Gullak, apart from the fact, that probably for the first time, we have witnessed parents who actually learn from films and take lessons on how to not pressure a child in abilities they fail to understand.
