Gulmohar (2023 film)
Gulmohar (transl. Flame Tree) is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language 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]
| 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 |
Plot
The 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
- Sharmila Tagore as Kusum Batra
- Manoj Bajpayee as Arun Batra
- Simran as Indira Batra , Arun Batra's Wife (Indu)
- Suraj Sharma as Aditya Batra (Aadi)
- Amol Palekar as Sudhakar Batra
- Kaveri Seth as Divya Batra
- Utsavi Jha as Amrita Batra (Amu)
- 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
| 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 & Alan Demoss and lyrics are 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
Gulmohar generally received positive reviews. 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.[5]
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. [6]
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. [7]
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”.[8]
References
- "Sharmila Tagore, Manoj Bajpayee in Disney+ Hotstar Film 'Gulmohar': Watch First Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- "Gulmohar trailer: Manoj Bajpayee, Sharmila Tagore keep breaking family together". Hindustan Times. 11 February 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. 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. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- 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. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- Roy, Dhaval (3 March 2023). "Gulmohar review: A bittersweet and profound story that will tug at your heart strings". Times of India. 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. Retrieved 3 March 2023.