CAST: Manoj Bajpayee, Simran, Sharmila Tagore, Amol Palekar, Talat Aziz, Suraj Sharma, Kaveri Seth, Santhy, Jatin Goswami,
DIRECTOR: Rahul V. Chittella
The matriarch of the Batra Family, Kusum ( Sharmila Tagore) just sold their family home, Gulmohar( named after the tree royal poinciana). Nestled in the middle of posh Central Delhi, this is a slice of life story about how a family realizes that their home is not limited to that house but the foundation of love that their relationships were built on.
It’s the eve of the Holi festival, and the Batras have gathered for a drink the day before movers arrive to start packing their possessions. As with most every family gathering in the history of family gatherings, they’re having a good time, but also a terrible time, because that is the absolute, unerring nature of family gatherings. Talat Aziz, the quintessential ghazal singer is in his element as he croons at the fam jam and the matriarch lets the family know that she would like to continue living in the house as the packers pack their lives away till Holi.
She also announces that she has purchased a house on the Pondicherry islands and would be living there.
As the family digests this information, the family dynamics are revealed. Kusum is the widow, mother and grandmother, strong and independent and unapologetically open minded as she enjoys a snifter of brandy. Kusum’s son Arun (Bajpayee) is a very successful businessman, married to Indu (Simran), who’s pretty much second in command to Kusum in being the ties that bind the Batras. Arun and Indu’s son Adi (Suraj Sharma) is at odds with his father for asserting his own independence; Adi and his wife Divya (Kaveri Seth) not only insist upon living under their own roof, but Adi also refuses to take his father’s investment money in order to bail out his sinking tech startup. Meanwhile, Arun and Indra’s daughter Amu (Utsavi Jha) faces her own personal crisis.
Maid and cook Reshma (Santhy) is the object of estate security guard Jeetu’s (Jatin Goswami) unspoken affection; he’s crippled by his own insecurity, worrying that his lack of education renders him an unworthy romantic partner to Reshma. Amol Palekar as the self-seeking brother-in-law of Kusum, in a role speckled with shades of gray is such a riveting watch.
The stellar cast and their acting skills makes the movie such a masterclass. The philosophy about what the legacy of our lives is ultimately that defines the union of the characters who,being free to be who they really are, build relations of the heart and not of blood only.
Overall, watch it for the fabulous ensemble cast.
Streams on Hulu and Disney plus Hotstar.
