Gullak Season 5 review: New paint on walls, the same warmth within
Gullak Season 5 returns to Mishra Niwas as renovation, family shifts and new visitors reshape familiar routines. The season stays gentle and reflective, finding meaning in change, discomfort and old memories.
There's a particular kind of comfort that Gullak offers, the kind you don't find in most shows. It doesn't try to bedazzle you. It doesn't build towards a dramatic climax. It just sits down next to you, like a cup of chai on a Friday afternoon and reminds you of something you'd almost forgotten about yourself.
Season 5 begins with a sight every middle-class household knows too well: paint buckets, rollers, mixing pans and scrapers piled on a concrete ledge. And, that tells you everything about where the Mishras are right now. Mishra Niwas is getting a long overdue whitewash. The house is also getting a Wi-Fi router because Annu, the elder son in the family, now needs uninterrupted internet for work meetings. The router finds a place in the house, forcing the beloved earthen-gullak narrator (Shivankit Singh Parihar) to shift from its usual spot.
The times, however slowly, are changing. But as anyone who has sat through a home renovation will tell you, the chaos and the warmth tend to arrive together, and that's exactly what this season delivers.
Created by Shreyansh Pandey and written by Vidit Tripathi, the fifth season continues to draw humour and emotion from the ordinary. There are no dramatic twists or life-altering revelations here. Instead, the TVF show finds beauty in familiar family dynamics, unfulfilled wishes, everyday frustrations and the silent sacrifices that often go unnoticed in middle-class homes.
The setup is familiar but not tired. Santosh Mishra (Jameel Khan) and Shanti (Geetanjali Kulkarni) are still navigating life with the same combination of dignity and everyday exasperation that has made them two of the most beloved characters on Indian streaming. Aman (Harsh Mayar) returns from the hostel carrying experiences of his own and a small secret his family is unaware of. Annu aka Anand Mishra, now played by Anant V Joshi stepping in for Vaibhav Raj Gupta, is still wrestling with ambition and self-doubt in roughly equal measure.
And then there's Bittu Ki Mummy. For four seasons, Sunita Rajwar's Shalini has been the neighbour we all recognise – loud, opinionated, always little too involved in everyone else's business. This season, the show reminds us there's a woman called Shalini underneath all of that – one with her own ambitions and a growing appetite for attention that the internet is very happy to feed. She makes choices that will frustrate you and crosses lines that are hard to ignore. But Rajwar never lets her become a caricature and that's what makes her arc this season one of the more thought-provoking things Gullak has done in a while.
Gullak has always been gentler than most shows about the flaws of people it loves, and it extends that same generosity here while still asking you to think.
One of Gullak's strengths has always been its writing, and Season 5 continues that tradition. The show's narrator once again delivers observations that feel less like commentary and more like life lessons overheard during a family gathering. Whether it is nostalgia, free will, regret, ambition or the dreams parents quietly tuck away for their children, the dialogues often hit home because they are rooted in truth.
Gopal Dutt as Pinky Mama, Shanti's brother, arriving with gifts and an agenda, is a fun addition this season. He wears a T-shirt that reads "Kaleshi Aadmi" and somehow lives up to it in the best possible way. He brings his own energy into Mishra Niwas without bulldozing the show's existing warmth.
Annu's feelings for Dr Priti (Helly Shah) haven't gone anywhere and neither does his inability to do anything about them. Their story unfolds through small gestures, awkward moments and unspoken emotions. Whether it's helping her organise a dental camp or simply finding reasons to be around her, Annu's affection feels genuine. The subplot adds warmth to the season without taking attention away from the Mishras' everyday lives.
Apart from the writing, the performances remain the backbone of the series. Jameel Khan and Geetanjali Kulkarni have been this couple for so long now that watching them feels less like watching acting and more like watching two people simply being. Harsh Mayar brings his usual warm, slightly bumbling charm to Aman.
The biggest challenge this season was undoubtedly replacing Vaibhav Raj Gupta as Annu. Loyal fans will miss him. However, Anant V Joshi puts in a sincere effort to step into those shoes. While it takes some time to adjust to the new face, he gradually settles into the role and manages to make Annu his own.
Directed by Abhay Raut and Shreyansh Pandey, Gullak Season 5 never really aims for grand emotional highs. In fact, there are no standout tearjerker moments or laugh-out-loud comic set pieces that immediately demand social media clips. But perhaps that is precisely its charm.
Like the old gullak (piggybank) sitting quietly in a corner of the house, the show accumulates small moments. A conversation between parents. A dream deferred. A sibling argument. A shared cup of tea. Individually they may seem insignificant, but together they create something meaningful.
Five seasons in, Gullak still understands something that many shows forget: life isn't always about big events. Sometimes it's about repainting a house, shifting a router, making room for change and realising that home remains home no matter what colour the walls are.
Gullak Season 5 doesn't reinvent itself. It doesn't need to. It simply stirs the yaadon ki gullak once again, and that's enough.
There's a particular kind of comfort that Gullak offers, the kind you don't find in most shows. It doesn't try to bedazzle you. It doesn't build towards a dramatic climax. It just sits down next to you, like a cup of chai on a Friday afternoon and reminds you of something you'd almost forgotten about yourself.
Season 5 begins with a sight every middle-class household knows too well: paint buckets, rollers, mixing pans and scrapers piled on a concrete ledge. And, that tells you everything about where the Mishras are right now. Mishra Niwas is getting a long overdue whitewash. The house is also getting a Wi-Fi router because Annu, the elder son in the family, now needs uninterrupted internet for work meetings. The router finds a place in the house, forcing the beloved earthen-gullak narrator (Shivankit Singh Parihar) to shift from its usual spot.
The times, however slowly, are changing. But as anyone who has sat through a home renovation will tell you, the chaos and the warmth tend to arrive together, and that's exactly what this season delivers.
Created by Shreyansh Pandey and written by Vidit Tripathi, the fifth season continues to draw humour and emotion from the ordinary. There are no dramatic twists or life-altering revelations here. Instead, the TVF show finds beauty in familiar family dynamics, unfulfilled wishes, everyday frustrations and the silent sacrifices that often go unnoticed in middle-class homes.
The setup is familiar but not tired. Santosh Mishra (Jameel Khan) and Shanti (Geetanjali Kulkarni) are still navigating life with the same combination of dignity and everyday exasperation that has made them two of the most beloved characters on Indian streaming. Aman (Harsh Mayar) returns from the hostel carrying experiences of his own and a small secret his family is unaware of. Annu aka Anand Mishra, now played by Anant V Joshi stepping in for Vaibhav Raj Gupta, is still wrestling with ambition and self-doubt in roughly equal measure.
And then there's Bittu Ki Mummy. For four seasons, Sunita Rajwar's Shalini has been the neighbour we all recognise – loud, opinionated, always little too involved in everyone else's business. This season, the show reminds us there's a woman called Shalini underneath all of that – one with her own ambitions and a growing appetite for attention that the internet is very happy to feed. She makes choices that will frustrate you and crosses lines that are hard to ignore. But Rajwar never lets her become a caricature and that's what makes her arc this season one of the more thought-provoking things Gullak has done in a while.
Gullak has always been gentler than most shows about the flaws of people it loves, and it extends that same generosity here while still asking you to think.
One of Gullak's strengths has always been its writing, and Season 5 continues that tradition. The show's narrator once again delivers observations that feel less like commentary and more like life lessons overheard during a family gathering. Whether it is nostalgia, free will, regret, ambition or the dreams parents quietly tuck away for their children, the dialogues often hit home because they are rooted in truth.
Gopal Dutt as Pinky Mama, Shanti's brother, arriving with gifts and an agenda, is a fun addition this season. He wears a T-shirt that reads "Kaleshi Aadmi" and somehow lives up to it in the best possible way. He brings his own energy into Mishra Niwas without bulldozing the show's existing warmth.
Annu's feelings for Dr Priti (Helly Shah) haven't gone anywhere and neither does his inability to do anything about them. Their story unfolds through small gestures, awkward moments and unspoken emotions. Whether it's helping her organise a dental camp or simply finding reasons to be around her, Annu's affection feels genuine. The subplot adds warmth to the season without taking attention away from the Mishras' everyday lives.
Apart from the writing, the performances remain the backbone of the series. Jameel Khan and Geetanjali Kulkarni have been this couple for so long now that watching them feels less like watching acting and more like watching two people simply being. Harsh Mayar brings his usual warm, slightly bumbling charm to Aman.
The biggest challenge this season was undoubtedly replacing Vaibhav Raj Gupta as Annu. Loyal fans will miss him. However, Anant V Joshi puts in a sincere effort to step into those shoes. While it takes some time to adjust to the new face, he gradually settles into the role and manages to make Annu his own.
Directed by Abhay Raut and Shreyansh Pandey, Gullak Season 5 never really aims for grand emotional highs. In fact, there are no standout tearjerker moments or laugh-out-loud comic set pieces that immediately demand social media clips. But perhaps that is precisely its charm.
Like the old gullak (piggybank) sitting quietly in a corner of the house, the show accumulates small moments. A conversation between parents. A dream deferred. A sibling argument. A shared cup of tea. Individually they may seem insignificant, but together they create something meaningful.
Five seasons in, Gullak still understands something that many shows forget: life isn't always about big events. Sometimes it's about repainting a house, shifting a router, making room for change and realising that home remains home no matter what colour the walls are.
Gullak Season 5 doesn't reinvent itself. It doesn't need to. It simply stirs the yaadon ki gullak once again, and that's enough.
