Release Date : August 18, 2023
123telugu.com Rating : 2.75/5
Starring: Rajkummar Rao, Dulquer Salmaan, Adarsh Gourav, TJ Bhanu, Gulshan Devaiah, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Pooja A Gor, & late Satish Kaushik
Director: Raj & DK
Producers: Raj & DK
Music Director: Aman Pant
Cinematographer: Pankaj Kumar
Editor: Sumeet Kotian
Related Links : Trailer
Raj & DK, who delivered many successful web shows, have now come up with a black comedy thriller series, Guns & Gulaabs. It stars Rajkummar Rao and Dulquer Salmaan in the lead roles. Adarsh Gourav, TJ Bhanu, and Gulshan Devaiah played other vital roles. Currently, the show is streaming on Netflix in multiple languages, and let’s see how it is.
Story:
Ganchi (late Satish Kaushik), a drug dealer in Gulaabgunj, signs a big deal with Kolkata-based businessman Sukantao Chatterjee (Rajatava Datta). As per the deal, Ganchi has to deliver a huge quantity of opium to Sukanto in a month’s time. During this, an honest Narcotics officer Arjun Varma (Dulquer Salmaan), arrives in Gulaabgunj with the aim of controlling the illegal opium trading. Paana Tipu (Rajkummar Rao) is the son of Babu Tiger (Arijit Dutta), a key member of Ganchi’s gang.
Tipu is a mechanic who doesn’t want to enter his father’s profession and sincerely loves school teacher Chandralekha (TJ Bhanu). But unexpectedly, Tipu kills two people of Chaar Cut Atmaram’s (Gulshan Devaiah) gang who killed his father and becomes a part of the crime world. Meanwhile, an unanticipated problem arises for Ganchi, due to which his son Jugnu (Adarsh Gourav) takes up the job of completing the deal. How the lives of all intertwined form part of the crux of the series.
Plus Points:
Rajkummar Rao and Dulquer Salmaan are two of the best actors in the Indian film industry, and it is a delight to watch both of these actors in a single show. Rajkummar Rao effortlessly got into the skin of the character and played his role quite beautifully. The dark comedy designed for his role worked well. There is some innocence in Rajkummar Rao’s role, which the actor convincingly portrayed. All in all, the natural performer brought his A-game to the series.
Dulquer Salmaan gave a solid performance as a Narcotics officer. The actor provides depth to the series and is at ease in the show. Though there are only a few combo scenes between Dulquer and Rajkummar Rao, they came out superbly. Gulshan Devaiah is becoming the go-to artist for essential roles on OTT shows. The actor was splendid in his role and makes one glue their eyes to the screen whenever he appears. The way he mouths a Telugu dialogue looked cute.
TJ Bhanu, who played the love interest of Rajkummar Rao, was good. The humor lands well in a few scenes, and especially the Hindi dialogues penned by Sumit Arora are pretty good. The last episode has loads of entertainment and action, giving the series a good ending. Adarsh Gourav, Suhani Sethi, Varun Badola, and others were adequate in their roles. The sequences involving the kids are neatly designed and are well-linked to the main plot.
Minus Points:
When a series has two acting powerhouses like Rajkummar Rao and Dulquer Salmaan, the expectations will be obviously high regarding the story, but this aspect is not that great in Guns & Gulaabs. Two rival gangs fighting against each other have been showcased in many films and shows, and there is nothing new that has been depicted here.
As the story is routine, the show becomes predictable for the most part, and hence that wow factor is missing. Raj & DK have set high standards with their previous works, but Guns & Gulaabs lacks a fast-paced screenplay and twists. Despite the shortcomings, what keeps the series going is the performances of actors and dark comedy.
Gulshan Devaiah deserved more screen time. There was more scope for entertainment through Atmaram’s character, but the makers didn’t make full use of this. The mid-episodes turn out to be boring, and it is only during the last couple of episodes the series becomes more interesting. The series has considerable lag during the mid-episodes, which the editing team could have eliminated.
Technical Aspects:
Aman Pant’s background score is excellent, bringing a retro feel organically. Pankaj Kumar’s cinematography is top-notch. The series is set in the 90s, and the art direction department takes us back in time. The editing could have been better with regard to a few episodes. The music and cinematography complemented each other and enhanced the show’s overall technical quality. The production values are exquisite.
Raj & DK did an okay job with Guns & Gulaabs. They took a routine plot and made the show an okayish fare by penning unique characterizations and extracting solid performances from artists. Also, credit should go to Casting Bay for picking some of the best talents. Having said that, Raj & DK couldn’t meet the gigantic expectations. The screenplay is flat for the most part and also predictable.
Verdict:
On the whole, Guns & Gulaabs is a partly engaging crime comedy series. Raj & DK have set the bar high with their work, and this show is not on par with their previous outings. Rajkummar Rao, Dulquer Salmaan, and others delivered brilliant performances. The dark comedy in a few scenes landed well, and the series had good action blocks too. But as mentioned earlier, the story is routine, and hence the predictability factor comes into the picture. If you lower your expectations, Guns & Gulaabs will end up being an okay watch.
123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team