Gullak Season 4 review: TVF does it again! The Mishras will leave you smiling endlessly

Gullak Season 4 review: If yours truly ever had to name three shows – the holy trinity – that represented India in its truest colours, Gullak would be on top of the list. It would obviously be accompanied by Panchayat, and even perhaps by Aspirants. The thing to note here is that all three come from the studios of TVF, the powerhouse that has given some of the most-loved and nuanced Hindi shows. 

Gullak, a slice-of-life show, is just so very true to its portrayal of the Indian middle class. Shivankit Singh Parihar’s narration of the gullak (piggy bank), a fixture of Indian middle-class homes, the all-seeing, all-knowing, the ever-present, sometimes-forgotten, sometimes-neglected, and a constant and obvious reminder of the household’s financial constraints, is simply flawless. It is poetic but never preachy. The gullak sees its owners and knows their harshest secrets and their softest moments. It does not judge, but simply states. 

The gullak’s monologues are what set this show apart. It has always been its strongest suit, and Season 4 of Gullak, plays to its potential fully. 

The cast – who have actually started looking like a real family now – have some of the best on-screen camaraderie. Shanti and Santosh Mishra’s bickering and sharp retorts, and the soft moments like when they dance with each other alone at home, is a glimpse into the lives of every middle-class parents. Annu and Aman’s constant fights and rivalry are mostly nonsensical, as every sibling pair’s fights are. 

But they all struggle internally, and face their own challenges. Annu’s job is stuff of nightmares, Aman is turning into an insolent brat, his family thinks, Shanti spins around like a top day-in and day-out, and Santosh has a tough act to put up to meet the needs of the family. But as they say, there is nothing a good cuppa can’t fix (the Mishras are obvious tea-lovers, as is evident from the copious amounts of tea they drink).

As in the case of every Indian household, no two days are the same in terms of the challenges they pose. Sometimes you need to bribe someone, sometimes you need to lodge an FIR, sometimes you need to swallow your pride, and sometimes you just run out of water. In between all this, Gullak Season 4 is a treat for the viewers. 

Jameel Khan as Santosh Mishra and Geetanjali Kulkarni as Shanti Mishra hold the show together. Individually too, they excel as two middle-class people trying to get by, who don’t have lofty dreams, and are proud and frustrated at their growing sons at the same time. 

Vaibhav Raj Gupta as Annu, the elder son – with the most older brother vibes ever – is sharp as the hot-headed medical representative. He struggles to balance between his demanding and sometimes insensible job demands, and his responsibilities as the elder son and the older brother. Harsh Mayar as Aman, the youngest son, the variable in the Mishra family, dreams of being a novelist, and is the self-proclaimed ‘black sheep’ of this motley crew. He is ‘Chemical X’ of the Mishra clan, and is the source of much concern and chagrin for the Mishras. Mayar has that spark that is essential to the portrayal of Aman. 

Then there is Bittu ki mummy, played by Sunita Rajwar, a staple of shows and movies about small town/rural India. There is simply no questioning of Rajwar’s prowess as the nosy neighbour, who mostly comes to the Mishra family at the most inopportune times, but sometimes also is the helping hand they desperately need. 

If there is any flaw at all, it is perhaps the length of the show. There is no way one would want to halt this show mid-season.  

Gullak Season 4 is now streaming on SonyLiv.