Gulmohar opens with a certain familiarity. A Punjabi family is joined by their extended family and friends to celebrate their last night in Gulmohar Villa, their palatial South Delhi house that the family has inhabited for the last 34 years. Photographs are clicked, and songs are sung while the chattering and carousing continue, and amid this merrymaking, we are casually introduced to the Batra clan—there’s Kusum, the matriarch of the family played gracefully by Sharmila Tagore; her benign son, Arun (Manoj Bajpayee); her daughter-in-law Indira (Simran); and their children Aditya (Suraj Sharma), Amrita (Utsavi Jha) and Divya (Kaveri Seth). The film was released this week on Disney+ Hotstar (Hulu). 

Everything is set to go as per plan until Kusum makes an unusual request. She wants the family to stay four more days until Holi (a Hindu festival), even though packers have been called the next day. Arun and Indira are displeased with the last-minute change, yet they comply, only for Kusum to drop under a bolt from the blue—she wants to live by herself in Pondicherry. In the four days that follow, the cracks in the family only widen, and several personal and familial uncertainties and insecurities surface. 

Debutant director Rahul V. Chittella has woven a bittersweet story that explores nuances of the idea of home, family, change, blood relations, and generational gap. These are themes that aren’t novel but Gulmohar is Chittella’s attempt at revisiting these ideas from a contemporary lens. The characters echo relatable anxieties and miseries. Aditya—who shares a rocky relationship with his father—is desperate to leave the house and live alone. Amrita has issues with love and identity. Arun has difficulty letting go and coming to terms with change. Chittella and his co-writer Arpita Mukherjee have attempted to layer the film with commentary on majoritarianism, casteism, and sexuality. A blooming love story between the house helps Reshma and watchman Jeetu run parallel to the story. 

Gulmohar also takes into account the changing facade of Delhi. The Batras are to leave their ancestral house and are moving to a high-rise in Gurugram, an expanding area in the National Capital Region known for its expanding infrastructure. “Buildings khadi kar kar ke naksha badal denge (Skyscrapers are changing the look of Delhi),” comments somebody, echoing the reality. Chittella makes the most of the location. The tombs of the Lodhi Garden, Agrasen ki Baoli, and the lush green public parks and lanes of South Delhi make frequent backdrops as a reminder of the rich history of the city that is fast changing.

Chittela’s vision is complemented by some committed performances that make this film special. Manoj Bajpayee feels like a breath of gentle air. Shamila Tagore is convincing, and so is Amol Palekar, the antagonist who you cannot bring yourself to dislike. Simran is assertive, and Jatin Goswami as Jeetu is memorable. Certain scenes lift the film to a high—Arun’s conversation with the owner of Premi Dhaba is one of them—while some that fail to take the leap. However, at times, the film goes haywire; the conflict in the plot comes from a difference in worldviews and feels insufficient to take the film forward. The mention of same-sex and inter-faith relationships seems more tokenistic and fails to seep into the narrative. In a nutshell, Gulmohar is 130 minutes of highs and lows that do a good job of keeping you hooked. It’s a story done fresh. And even though it loses momentum at times, it concludes with emotional precision.

Review Courtesy of Anjani Chadha

Feature image from Gulmohar, directed by Rahul V. Chittella; Disney+ Hostar