Gulmohar

The first half is very engaging, but the film loses pace in the second half so much that you want the climax to arrive soon. Chittella and Arpita Mukherjee's story is extremely layered, which is great, to begin with. But beyond a point, the narrative becomes a bit convoluted. Everybody seems to be beating around the bush with nobody saying things upfront. I mean, you struggle to figure out the actual cause of why the family fell apart in the first place. At 132 minutes, the film needed much better editing. A few subplots initially looked like they'd play a crucial part but end up being half-baked. The portions between Reshma, the cook, and Jeetu, the security guard of Gulhomar Villa and their brewing romance are good and intriguing, but they could have been easily chopped to keep the film's screenplay more focused and crisper.

Yet, the sub-plots, revolving around some of the supporting characters, slow down the narrative, especially in the second half. One such instance is the romance between the cook Reshma and watchman Jitender. This track evokes a sense of déjà vu, reminding us of Alice and Dubey in Monsoon Wedding (2001). Perhaps this track is Chittella’s tribute to director Mira Nair, his mentor. In fact, the idea of Gulmohar came from the party held at Nair’s Delhi family home before it was pulled down. Gulmohar is about fractured relationships, complex emotions and healing. The narrative dedicatedly follows that emotional trajectory, notwithstanding the plot holes. The movie, however, lacks the exuberance and intensity of Monsoon Wedding, which makes the latter hard-hitting and heartwarming at the same time. But then, as Tagore says in the movie, it’s what it is “meant to be”.