When a show has been around for more than half a decade and spawned five seasons, you know it has received a certain amount of love from the audience. When the first season of ‘Gullak’, a show created by TVF, came out in 2019, it charmed the audience with its take on an Indian middle class family. Its warmth drew the audience in and its relatable characters ensured they kept asking for more. The fifth season of the show has dropped on Sony LIV today.
In the new season of ‘Gullak’, we are introduced to the Mishra family again. While we see the entry of a character (Pinky Mama played by Gopal Dutt) whom we had just heard about, we also realize the real name of ‘Bittu Ki Mummy’ is Shalini. Aman (Harsh Mayar) is in college but is more interested in carving out a career as a new-age astrologer. Annu (Anantvijay Joshi) is busy trying to climb up the ranks as a medical representative and strengthening his equation with Dr. Preeti (Helly Shah). Santosh (Jameel Khan) is dealing with issues at his workplace and Shanti (Geetanjali Kulkarni) is figuring out whether she can afford to sell their ancestral house, a property which she is emotionally attached to.
The new season comes armed with seven episodes and each episode keeps you thoroughly engaged and invested in the kind of circumstances the Mishra family finds itself in. Each character in the family gets a proper arc and you look forward to see how things unfold for them. Not just Mishra family, even some of the other tertiary characters, including Bittu Ki Mummy or Shalini, get interesting arcs that keep you hooked as an audience. While the show does not offer many dull moments, one does feel, at certain points, the pacing could have been better.
Jameel Khan, yet again, brings to life Santosh Mishra with utmost ease. His act in the finale episode is one of the highlights of this season. Geetanjali Kulkarni does a splendid job at bringing the turmoil Shanti is going through to the fore. Anantvijay Joshi, who replaces Vaibhav Raj Gupta as Annu in this season, interprets the character in his own wonderful way while retaining its essence. Harsh Mayar is delightful, as always, as Aman. Helly Shah delivers a likeable performance as Dr. Preeti. Gopal Dutt is wonderful as Pinky Mama. As Bittu Ki Mummy/Shalini, Sunita Rajwar gets a very good arc this time and she makes the most of it. Stuti Tiwari leaves a mark as Aditi.
‘Gullak’ Season 5 turns out to be as delightful as the earlier seasons. The writing and performances continue to be the show’s strongest assets. It ends on a very satisfactory note and makes one look forward to the next one.