“The greatest service we can do the common man is to abolish him and make all men uncommon” said Norman Angell. Indian Television has over the ages celebrated the stories of the common man. Delightful shows like #Nukkad, #YeJoHaiZindagi and #WaglekiDuniya come to mind. Remember that episode where Wagle goes to buy fabric for his trousers and ends up buying ten times the amount of fabric. The entire house, pillows, sheets and curtains are then converted to the same look. The beauty of these shows is that there is no story; it is just ordinary anecdotes that conjure up the life of the common man!
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews #Gullak on #SonyLiv. Two seasons , ten episodes and an avalanche of emotions. Created by #TVF, this show captures the everyday occurrences in the lives of Sanotsh Mishra (#JameelKhan), an ordinary clerk in the Electricity Department, hsi wife Shanth Mishra (#GeetanjaliKulkarni) and their sons Annu (#VaibhavRajGupta) and Aman (#HarshMayar). The voice-over is narrated by the humble Gullak or piggy-bank in the house and makes it clear that we are not talking stories with complex plots or characters. #Gullak is just a collection of delightful memories from our childhood.
#Gullak stands out for some delightful writing and characterisation. In a world where web series across multiple streaming platforms are providing a surfeit of violence, horror or sleaze, it can only be good effective writing that makes a show break through. The first season is written by #NikhilVijayMotghare and directed by #AmritRajGupta. The second season is in the same vein and written by #DurgeshSingh. Direction is by #PalashVaswani. Santosh Mishra is a clerk in the electricity department and loves his family. He is a man with high scruples but gets pulled into various situations. His wife Shanti Mishra has an acerbic tongue but wears the pants in the house. The elder son Annu has failed his civil services examination but is the man with jugaad and wants to get ahead by hook or by crook. The younger son Aman is preparing for his Board exams but is also preparing for what to do when he fails. And providing the spice in their loves is the meddling neighbourhood auntie (#SunitaRajwar).
Another standout feature of #Gullak is the acting Each character has shades of grey and the respective actors put in a superlative performance. The show deals with some very ordinary problems of lower middle-class India - corruption, domestic finances, gender roles, unemployment, social and political exploitation, health issues, relatives, status and ego as also children, education and careers.
The real protagonist in the show is the Gullak that is watching all the happenings in the household. This is a breezy watch but as you wade into the Mishra Parivaar, you realise that these are not just light-hearted comic moments. Who would have thought that a simple bribe or “Suvidha Shulk” could create so many issues. Or that a marriage invite that does not include the family can result in a domestic tsunami! And therein lies the beauty of this gem of a show!
