If pleasant memories could take on a real, physical form, they probably resemble bright, tiny, multicoloured gems that are hidden away in the subconscious and meant to be enjoyed in peace. On the other hand, bad memories would resemble jagged glass shards that pierce, graze, and leave painful scars. Rahul V. Chittella’s debut feature, Gulmohar, is peopled by characters whose remembrances, triggered by a flashpoint, are more in the nature of the latter.
Gulmohar, a charming family drama streaming on Disney+Hotstar, celebrates the healing power of kinship even as it confronts the trauma of disruption brought on by random acts of fate or as a result of personal choices. It does this by flipping open the crypts of the mind and the heart and probing the unsettling secrets and fears that lie buried there.
Even though some of the storyline points in this book rely too much on coincidence, Chittella’s unassuming but incredibly powerful storytelling style is supported by a warm sense of humanity and astute observations.
The subdued melodrama contains a lot of beauty. The movie uses the same level of technical skill. It is both insightful and moving in equal measure. Gulmohar is an absolute delight thanks to Manoj Bajpayee in flawless form and Sharmila Tagore, who is making her film comeback after a more than ten-year absence.