The Mishra Parivaar is back with their witty banter and highs and lows in Season 4 of Gullak, the TVF sitcom on SonyLIV, but there’s a niggle that one can’t quite write off. Is Gullak overstaying its welcome?
Return to the familiar setting
Created and directed by Shreyansh Pandey, Gullak Season 4 picks up from right where we left off. The Mishras are coping with a new set of complexities in the town of Bhopal where they live. Parents Santosh (Jameel Khan) and Shanti (Geetanjali Kulkarni) have their hilarious squabbles going on, peppered with moments of tenderness. Elder son Annu (Vaibhav Raj Gupta), now a medical representative, has grown into the quintessential responsible older brother, while younger sibling Aman (Harsh Mayar) is grappling with the awkwardness of adolescence.
Still very relatable
The charm of Gullak lies in its ability to capture the essence of everyday life and Season 4 is no different. The humour is still relatable, with the ever-present gullak (piggy bank) serving as a silent narrator.
Jameel Khan and Geetanjali Kulkarni are in top form as Santosh and Shanti. Their chemistry as a loving but bickering couple continues to hold the show. There’s an ease between Vaibhav Raj Gupta and Harsh Mayar, which makes their brotherly bond feel genuine and endearing.
Signs of strain
In Season 4, comprising five half-an-hour episodes, the show delves into issues like bribing for unauthorised structural modifications to the Mishra house, the consequences of a chain-snatching incident on the family, selling off the junk piling up in the house, Annu having a hard time at work and the challenges of dealing with an adolescent boy.
The last — Aman’s coming-of-age struggles — takes centre stage but the handling feels cursory. Besides, the family dynamics, which was the heart of the show, takes a backseat for this new subplot, leaving some characters feeling underdeveloped.
Season 4 feels a stretch as the episodes lack the tight focus and crisp storytelling that marked the past seasons. The jokes too sound a little repetitive.
Perhaps, like the overflowing gullak, the show has run its course and should return after a break when it has something fresh to offer.
