Gullak 2 Review: A middle-class family faces, struggles and learns many lessons as they go about their lives. Gullak's first season in 2019 explained those beautifully and the new one puts together some more 'Kahaniyan nahi kissey' as the narrator asserts. They warm your heart, build a lump in your throat, make you crack-up and in all those ways, turn out to be extremely real. Gullak continues to be equally heartwarming in the second season. Sony LIV’s Next Web Original ‘Sikkon Ki Nahi, Kisson Ki Gullak’ Is All About Life Lessons

Nothing much has changed in the Mishra household, comprising of husband Santosh (Jameel Khan), wife Shanti (Geetanjali Kulkarni), eldest son Annu (Vaibhav Raj Gupta) and Aman (Harsh Mayar), since the first season. The only new information is Annu hasn't managed to crack the Staff Selection Commission while Harsh is preparing for Board exams. In five episodes, they deal with different issues like Shanti's diabetes diagnosis, the missing 'Saparivar' in a wedding invitation, an India-Pakistan match and sulabh shulk or as we know it the Convenience Fee and the corruption around it.

Gullak has always excelled due to clever writing without being overly dramatic. It's a regular middle-class family we have all come across. Heck, we are one of them! Durgesh Singh's writing seamlessly moves ahead without any bumps than otherwise necessary. The innate simplicity with which the story and the characters are executed makes Gullak, like its predecessor, an extremely feel-good show. The special mention goes to the characters here which are written beautifully, so much so that they don't seem fictional at all.

One-liners, metaphors, and analogy riddled anecdotes and some smart jibes give Gullak the finesse it needs. They are never off and seeped in regular day sarcasm that we have all been at the receiving end. There's a sequence where the Gullak, narrated by Shivankit Singh Parihar, finds symmetry in the use of spices in every household to say what's in the minds of the people in it. How bay leaf in hot oil means someone wants a change of taste and the likes. Every bit of that dialogue resonates with you. What the series aces in are that it has the usual tropes of the genre like a nosy neighbour, a neglectful husband, a disgruntled wife, a snappy teenager, an unemployed youth but they have been woven in the narrative so well that you don't mind the cliches at all.

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One other facet of fantastic writing in the show is throwing light on regular day problems that every middle-class house grapples with in a light-hearted manner. So there are occasional rants and breakdowns which only make the content richer. In the last scene, where Annu tries to hide his tears during a family photograph since he feels he failed his parents, that's all of us at some point in our life. These small but endearing moments make Gullak charming yet real.

Although there aren't many minuses in the show, a few things do get in the way of making this a blemishless watch. The narrator uses the phrase kahani nahi kissey so many times that it gets boring after a while. The day-to-day issues start getting disinteresting. That's when you keep waiting for a few moments that can become more than just mundane. Luckily, there are plenty that doesn't let this feeling of watching the same thing repetitively settle in.

What should I say about the performances? If the characters are fleshed out well, the actors playing them have become them. Jameel Khan and Geetanjali Kulkarni's bickerings might make you miss your parents dearly. Harsh's deadpan dialogue delivery is class apart while Vaibhav's story narration or rather a gossip narration is simply the best. One other person who deserves a mention here is Sunita Rajwar as Bitto ki mummy. She is simply fantastic as the loud, motor mouth and the gossipmonger of the entire locality. She has lived the part it seems.

Yay!

-Smart writing

-Simplistic storytelling

-Excellent performances

-Deftly written dialogues

Nay!

-Gets repetitive after a while

- Monotony threatens to set in soon enough

Final Thoughts

Gullak season 2 retains the genial, uncomplicated and satisfying narrative of the first season. The follow-up just peppers it with more realistic issues plaguing a middle-class family in an enchanting way. This is a must-watch if you want a break from gritty and grisly crime dramas. This snack watch of feel-good content will start streaming on SonyLIV from January 15.

Rating:4.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 11, 2021 05:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).