‘Gulmohar’ (2023) Hotstar Movie Review - It Was Meant To Be

Sharmila Tagore, playing the part of Kusum, is seen putting things in her bag in the opening scene of Gulmohar which is 132 minutes long. It's the last night of the Batra family in their family home Gulmohar villa. They all came together for a get-together before bidding a final goodbye to the home. The Batra’s were seen having drinks, enjoying each other's company, and singing.

Adi, Arun’s son (the role of Arun is played by the marvelous Manoj Bajpayee) decided to live separately with his wife. He has his start which is facing many troubles due to the lack of interest from investors. Adi also has his fights going on with Arun as his father is unable to accept the fact that his son wants to be independent and have a life of his own. There also comes a point where he is accused of surviving on his father’s and wife’s money which wasn’t the case. In marriages where the wife earns more, the husband is often targeted with such allegations which aren’t good and end up disturbing the equilibrium of the marriage.

Arun has his battles going on. He wants his family to stay under one roof and is seen doing all possible attempts to achieve the same. There’s a line said by Arun, “Ye ghar jab tha sb saath the..ab sb bikhar rha h” which reflects the pain he is in. They had to leave Gulmohar Villa and live in Gurugram due to the ongoing redevelopment projects in Delhi. Just like in every household, the relatives are often the villain, here Arun’s chacha is seen to be fickle and money-minded. 

Reshma, the house help, and the guard are seen to be attracted to each other but the latter finds it hard to tell his feelings. Amu is with Ankur however, their relationship isn’t also going well because Amu has a secret and she finds it hard to tell it to anyone. 

How quickly the happy family night turned into chaos and lost their peace is the main theme of Gulmohar. Gulmohar has many layers to it like the father-son bond, the pain of being adopted, the bitter-sweet relationship between the mother-in-law and Arun’s wife, and the lesbian couple. 

One thing that I liked most about the film is that each character has been given due importance including the house help and the guard. No character was sidelined and they all had their own stories to tell. Simultaneously many subplots were going on and they formed a beautiful mixture.

The title of the movie is Gulmohar as the people lived in the Gulmohar Villa and the story revolved around the things that were happening in that household. The soundtrack of the film is too good to be missed and touches your heart.

After watching this film, I have become a crazier version of a fan of Manjoy Bajpayee sir. He’s aced his role like a pro, and fewer actors like him can cast a spell on the audience. The pain of his character could be felt very closely. Sharmila Tagore also did a mind-blowing performance. The casting of Gulmohar was good and there was no leaf was left unturned by them. 

Initially, the film seems to be boring, of a slow pace, but once it reaches its core topic the audience will find it difficult to keep their eyes off the screen. The plot though very simple took a lot of effort to be executed correctly. A story like this can easily go off the tracks and the way the creators have pulled that off effortlessly is commendable. I have all praises for the film and it is surely a must watch for all our reader. Some might find it heavy on the emotional aspect.

Final Score – [8/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
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Publisher at Midgard Times