<p><strong>Gulmohar<br />Hindi </strong>(DisneyPlus Hotstar)<br /><strong>Rating: </strong>3/5<br /><strong>Director: </strong>Rahul V Chittella<br /><strong>Cast:</strong> Manoj Bajpayee, Sharmila Tagore, Amol Palekar, Simran</p>.<p>Layered, sticky and fragile, the petals of the Gulmohar flower cling together even as you tear them apart. As you watch ‘Gulmohar’, the movie, you begin to understand how apt the title is and how like the Gulmohar or the phoenix flower, as it is sometimes called, families are — with bonds that are both tenuous and strong at the same time.</p>.<p>Arun Batra’s large family is no different. In the beautifully shot opening montage, the camera languidly moves in between bustling family members in a bungalow in Delhi — in tune with the leisurely ghazal being sung by the velvet-voiced Talat Aziz, playing the genial uncle who bursts into song when drunk. There’s banter, there are awkward glances between husband-wife, and father-son, there’s the eye lock between the cook and the watchman...and there is the grandmother Kusum (Sharmila Tagore), guzzling brandy but hesitant and sweaty-palmed. </p>.<p>Eventually, you find out that the Batras are celebrating their last day in the bungalow which has already been sold. Kusum, of the peach-pink saris and measured diction, announces quietly that she will be shifting to Pondicherry, while Arun (Manoj Bajpayee) looks on, perturbed. Just as you think the central conflict of the movie has begun, another story is revealed. This one about Arun and his bond with his mother Kusum and his dead father. Stories continue to sneak into other stories unhurriedly. This is the movie’s biggest strength — the quiet confidence with which it tells this multi-thread tale. </p>.<p>However, the characters run in circles and the pace (or the lack of it) makes you impatient. But, suddenly, the conflicts sharpen, and the focus is clearly on Arun, played poignantly by Bajpayee. Amol Palekar, in his second outing after ‘Farzi’, is a joy to watch as the right-winger uncle whose certitude is as astonishing as it is familiar. Sharmila Tagore is as elegant as ever but perhaps too elegant for the character she is playing. And not to forget, Simran. What a pleasure to see this astute actor match her talent with Bajpayee!</p>.<p>‘Gulmohar’ has its flaws but is certainly watchable — even if just to know why Kusum wants to shift to Pondicherry. </p>
<p><strong>Gulmohar<br />Hindi </strong>(DisneyPlus Hotstar)<br /><strong>Rating: </strong>3/5<br /><strong>Director: </strong>Rahul V Chittella<br /><strong>Cast:</strong> Manoj Bajpayee, Sharmila Tagore, Amol Palekar, Simran</p>.<p>Layered, sticky and fragile, the petals of the Gulmohar flower cling together even as you tear them apart. As you watch ‘Gulmohar’, the movie, you begin to understand how apt the title is and how like the Gulmohar or the phoenix flower, as it is sometimes called, families are — with bonds that are both tenuous and strong at the same time.</p>.<p>Arun Batra’s large family is no different. In the beautifully shot opening montage, the camera languidly moves in between bustling family members in a bungalow in Delhi — in tune with the leisurely ghazal being sung by the velvet-voiced Talat Aziz, playing the genial uncle who bursts into song when drunk. There’s banter, there are awkward glances between husband-wife, and father-son, there’s the eye lock between the cook and the watchman...and there is the grandmother Kusum (Sharmila Tagore), guzzling brandy but hesitant and sweaty-palmed. </p>.<p>Eventually, you find out that the Batras are celebrating their last day in the bungalow which has already been sold. Kusum, of the peach-pink saris and measured diction, announces quietly that she will be shifting to Pondicherry, while Arun (Manoj Bajpayee) looks on, perturbed. Just as you think the central conflict of the movie has begun, another story is revealed. This one about Arun and his bond with his mother Kusum and his dead father. Stories continue to sneak into other stories unhurriedly. This is the movie’s biggest strength — the quiet confidence with which it tells this multi-thread tale. </p>.<p>However, the characters run in circles and the pace (or the lack of it) makes you impatient. But, suddenly, the conflicts sharpen, and the focus is clearly on Arun, played poignantly by Bajpayee. Amol Palekar, in his second outing after ‘Farzi’, is a joy to watch as the right-winger uncle whose certitude is as astonishing as it is familiar. Sharmila Tagore is as elegant as ever but perhaps too elegant for the character she is playing. And not to forget, Simran. What a pleasure to see this astute actor match her talent with Bajpayee!</p>.<p>‘Gulmohar’ has its flaws but is certainly watchable — even if just to know why Kusum wants to shift to Pondicherry. </p>
