Gulmohar (transl. Flame Tree) is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language family drama film written and directed by Rahul V. Chittella.[1] The film stars Sharmila Tagore, Manoj Bajpayee, Simran, Suraj Sharma, Amol Palekar, and Kaveri Seth, amongst others.[2][3] It was released on Disney+ Hotstar OTT platform on 3 March 2023.[4] It was featured in the 54th IFFI Indian panorama mainstream section.[5][6]
| Gulmohar | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Rahul V. Chittella |
| Written by | Rahul V. Chittella Arpita Mukherjee |
| Produced by | Vikesh Bhutani Rahul Chittella Shujaat Saudagar |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Eeshit Narain |
| Edited by | Tanupriya Sharma |
| Music by | Siddhartha Khosla Alan Demoss |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Disney+ Hotstar |
Release date |
|
Running time | 132 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
At the 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards, Gulmohar received 14 nominations won 3 awards, including Best Actress in a Web Original Film (Critics) (Tagore) and Best Supporting Actor in a Web Original Film (Sharma). At the 70th National Film Awards, the film won the Best Feature Film in Hindi, Best Screenplay (Dialogues) (Mukherjee and Chittella), and Special Mention (feature film) (Bajpayee).
Plot
editThe Batra family has been living in a house named "Gulmohar" for many decades. As their Gulmohar villa is being brought down to give way to a high rise, the family meets up for one last party before the packers and movers take over. However, over the course of ghazal and gossip, the discordant notes in their relationships get exposed and one gets sucked into their tumultuous present and turbulent past. The postcards of memories are riddled with cryptic messages on the destiny.
Cast
edit- Sharmila Tagore as Kusum Batra
- Manoj Bajpayee as Arun Batra, Kusum Batra's adopted son
- Simran as Indira "Indu" Batra, Arun Batra's wife
- Suraj Sharma as Aditya "Adi" Batra
- Amol Palekar as Sudhakar Batra
- Kaveri Seth as Divya Batra
- Utsavi Jha as Amrita "Amu" Batra
- Danish Sood as Ankur
- Anuraag Arora as Kamal Batra
- Devika Shahani as Neena Batra
- Sriharsh Sharma as Kishore Batra
- Santhy Balachandran as Reshma Saeed
- Jatin Goswami as Jeetendra "Jeetu" Kumar
- Chandan Roy as Param
- Gandharv Dewan as Irfan
- Talat Aziz as Avinash
- Vinod Nagpal as Baba, Arun's birth father
- Tanvi Rao as Deepika
- Abhinav Bhattacharjee as Radheshyam
- Tripti Sahu as Surekha
- Nargis Nandal as Payal
- Varun Narayan as Sameer
- Kanishk Seth as Rocky
- Deepak Bagga as Suri
- Hiba Qamar as Young Kusum
- Sanjina Gadhvi as Young Supriya
Music
edit| Gulmohar | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Siddhartha Khosla, Alan Demoss | |
| Released | 25 February 2023 |
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack |
| Length | 16:12 |
| Label | Zee Music Company |
The music for the film composed by Siddhartha Khosla and Alan Demoss with lyrics written by Shellee.
| No. | Title | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dilkash" | Siddhartha Khosla | Talat Aziz | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Sapno Ki Pakhi" | Siddhartha Khosla, Alan Demoss | Kavita Seth | 4:39 |
| 3. | "Woh Ghar" | Siddhartha Khosla, Alan Demoss | Utsavi Jha | 3:56 |
| 4. | "Hori Mein" | Siddhartha Khosla, Alan Demoss | Kavita Seth | 3:03 |
| Total length: | 16:12 | |||
Reception
editGulmohar received widespread critical acclaim. Critics praised the performances of Tagore, Bajpayee, and Simran. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film giving 4 out of 5 stars and said that "there is a great deal of beauty in the muted melodrama", praising the cast's ensemble performance.[7]
Alaka Sahani of The Indian Express drew a parallel between Gulmohar and Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding and termed it as director Rahul V Chittella's Tribute to his mentor.[8]
Dhaval Roy, writing for The Times of India, gave the movie 3.5 stars and gave particular praise to the acting performance of the cast stating that Tagore "is par excellence" and that "while Manoj is outstanding, so is Simran as his wife, Indu. The duo's individual performances are as noteworthy as their on-screen chemistry as husband and wife". He highlighted the "commendable performances" of the rest of the cast.[9]
Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times was more critical. While she praised the cast's performance she also stated that "the film needed much better editing" with certain subplots seeming "half-baked".[10]
Sanjib Kalita in Gaysi critically examines the queer representation in the film, stating that "The queer representation in the film is mere tokenism, and is used to construct the illusion of diversity." Kalita further adds "Understanding female sexuality in isolation from class, the economy, and society is difficult. Society privileges men and stifles women’s desires, through various institutions like marriage (in this case, between Kusum and her husband), romantic relationships (between Ankur and Ambika), and forces women into compulsory heterosexuality. Director Rahul V. Chittella, who touches upon these subtleties, could have explored more by emphasizing the narratives of desire and longing while connecting critiques of heteronormativity to understandings of other social norms."[11]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee / work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Filmfare OTT Awards | Best Web Original Film | Gulmohar | Nominated | [12] |
| Best Director in a Web Original Film | Rahul V. Chittella | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress in a Web Original Film | Sharmila Tagore | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress in a Web Original Film (Critics) | Won | ||||
| Best Actor in a Web Original Film | Manoj Bajpayee | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Web Original Film | Suraj Sharma | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Web Original Film | Simran | Nominated | |||
| Best Story (Web Original Film) | Rahul V. Chittella, Arpita Mukherjee | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay (Web Original Film) | Won | ||||
| Best Original Dialogue (Web Original Film) | Nominated | ||||
| Best Background Music (Web Original Film) | Siddhartha Khosla | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design (Web Original Film) | Mansi Dhruv Mehta | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematographer (Web Original Film) | Eeshit Narain | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing (Web Original Film) | Tanupriya Sharma | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound Design (Web Original Film) | P. M. Satheesh, Manoj M. Goswami | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | National Film Awards | Best Feature Film in Hindi | Star India, Rahul V. Chittella | Won | [13] |
| Best Screenplay (Dialogues) | Arpita Mukherjee, Rahul V Chittella | Won | |||
| Special Mention | Manoj Bajpayee | Won |
References
edit- ^ "Sharmila Tagore, Manoj Bajpayee in Disney+ Hotstar Film 'Gulmohar': Watch First Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ "Gulmohar trailer: Manoj Bajpayee, Sharmila Tagore keep breaking family together". Hindustan Times. 11 February 2023. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ "Gulmohar trailer: Manoj Bajpayee, Sharmila Tagore shine in this emotional story of a dysfunctional family". The Times of India. 11 February 2023. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ "Gulmohar First Look: सामने आया मनोज बाजपेयी की 'गुलमोहर' का फर्स्ट लुक, जानिए कब रिलीज होगी फिल्म?". ABP News. 8 February 2023. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ "Indian Panorama 2023 Announces Official Selection for 54th IFFI, 2023". Press Information Bureau. 23 October 2023. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023 – via press release.
- ^ "Gulmohar Wins Best National Film Award 2024, Manoj Bajpayee Gets Special Mention". NEWS18.
- ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (3 March 2023). "Gulmohar Review: With Sharmila Tagore And Manoj Bajpayee, A Treat All The Way". NDTV. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ Sahani, Alaka (3 March 2023). "Gulmohar movie review: Sharmila Tagore, Manoj Bajpayee drive engrossing family drama". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ Roy, Dhaval (3 March 2023). "Gulmohar review: A bittersweet and profound story that will tug at your heart strings". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ Kukreja, Monika Rawal (3 March 2023). "Gulmohar movie review: This intriguing family saga is convincing and convoluted at the same time". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ Kalita, Sanjib (31 March 2023). "Deconstructing The Queer Characters In Gulmohar For Their Aesthetics And Activism". Gaysi. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ "Nominations for the Filmfare OTT Awards 2023: Full List Out | Femina.in". www.femina.in. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "70th National Film Awards: Rishab Shetty wins Best Actor for 'Kantara,' 'Aattam' bags Best Feature Film". The Hindu. 16 August 2024. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.