TVF’s Gullak, turns into the first Indian Web-Series to Score a Hattrick with a Blockbuster Season 3

In the late 80s and 90s, Doordarshan (DD) grew to become a staple in each Indian family with its big selection of leisure programmes and reveals. Those had been the times of no cable TV or OTT, and DD was the one channel that supplied healthful leisure. Serials like Hum Log, Buniyaad and Nukkad introduced alive on TV screens, the lives of widespread individuals and middle-class households, the dynamics of their relationships, and day-to-day struggles. A billion individuals laughed and cried with the characters of Doordarshan.

After the golden years of 80s and 90s with Doordarshan, Indian viewers have nearly by no means been served with the candy style of realism in a present, in regards to the lifetime of a middle-class household… till 2015, when India’s First and Original OTT content material kings, The Viral Fever (TVF) pioneered Indian Web-Series with Permanent Roommates, Pitchers & their newest Gullak-3. Founded by Arunabh Kumar in 2012, TVF is likely one of the hottest & critically acclaimed content material store manufacturers in India. Closing in on a decade of content material creation this yr, TVF has given this nation some spectacular reveals, significantly at the least seven authentic reveals which have been included within the prime 250 reveals of the world.

TVF’s Gullak has the uncommon distinction of operating two profitable seasons showered with love and awards from followers and critics alike, and opening an equally rewarding season 3 with a lot fanfare, on considered one of India’s greatest OTT giants, SonyLiv. It is the story of a middle-class household and er… it’s really not a “story” however tiny anecdotes from the Mishra family, as says the light, affable narrator of Gullak, Shivankit Singh Parihar, “Ye kahani nahi, kisse hain”.

Speaking about Season 3, Shreyansh Pandey, Creator, Gullak, says, “In Season 3, we have done an experiment with the third episode which is a story that’s very close to me and something that I’ve seen personally. The episode is called ‘Agua’ and is very colloquial to Eastern Uttar Pradesh, but at same time, universal in its phenomenon. People are loving the episode and tweeting en masse about it. This is as local as we want to get with our stories and yet appeal to the masses”.

Speaking in regards to the spirit of Gullak, Palash Vaswani, the Director of the present, says, “Gullak is the story of every person who comes from a small town and a middle-class family. We all have our experiences to share with the world. As a director, I see Gullak as such a potent ground to tell simple relatable anecdotes through layers that are complex. Bringing this world onto the screen has been a joyful process of storytelling. I am very thankful to Arunabh, our producer, who asked me to direct season 2 and eventually 3”. 

“We wanted to highlight anecdotes of a middle-class family that metamorphoses into a kahaani (story) in everyday life. TVF is a writer friendly place. Your stories are heard and taken care of. When you focus on writing and researching, you make relatable content and audience immediately connects with it. The stories that TVF has been telling, I don’t think I see them anywhere,” explains Durgesh Singh, author, Gullak.

Gullak has resonated with the actual India; the India that you just typically don’t get to see on the large screens; the India that lives in small cities and even smaller salaries; the India that has on a regular basis arguments about who will get the TV distant; the India that additionally stands with the household and desires large.

So, what’s in retailer for the followers in Gullak season 3? What quirks and shenanigans are the Mishras taking us via, this time round?

“Season 2 was a huge success. Our challenge was to not make season 3 very different from the previous season, but at the same time, keep inventing ourselves to tell new stories or “new kisse”. It is a pure development from the place we’ve ended final season. There are fascinating arcs given to every character and their interpersonal relationships,” added Palash.

“If I have to describe season 3 in one word, I would call it audacious. We have spoken about the younger self of mothers, work place politics and changing alpha equations in Mishra Family and so much more,” says Durgesh.

Speaking of the characters that make up the Mishra household, in season 3, they’re again with the struggles of creating ends meet and their particular person oddities that makes them so actual. Speaking about what went into the inspiration and preparation to play Santosh Mishra, the bread-winning, husband and father, award successful actor, Jameel Khan stated, “I have lived a life which was well provided for as a kid until I was studying. It’s post that, when I stopped taking money from my parents and decided to fend for myself, that every penny mattered and the challenges of a middle-class existence, of making do with very little money, etc. came into realization. My father’s business was in disarray, younger sisters were yet to complete their education and be married. I didn’t want to burden my father with an additional responsibility, in pursuit of my passion. It’s from here that I draw my inspiration to play Santosh Mishra ji”.

Commenting on working with TVF, Geetanjali Kulkarni who performs Shanti Mishra, says, “Working with TVF and Gullak is creatively very satisfying. The team led by Arunabh Kumar believes in collaboration in the real sense, listens to everyone’s opinions, which makes the whole process of rehearsals and shooting joyful for the artist.”

Talking about her inspiration, Sunita Rajwar who performs Bittu ki mummy, says, “I connected instantly with Bittu ki Mummy. I am from a small town myself and I have seen many aunties in my childhood who were very similar to her. And there was this particular lady whom the neighborhood used to address as ‘Hema Malini’. We used to call her Kamla aunty. She was cute, innocent, and at the same time, people used to get irritated by her. So, I took some nuances from her when I played Bittu ki mummy”.

Gullak Season 3 is undoubtedly, a flawless piece of artwork and a uncommon phenomenon to come back by in India, the place most mainstream web-series crash and burn by season 2, owing to not with the ability to maintain the viewer’s extended consideration via years.

“We decided to bring back season 3, within one year, so that the show becomes a habitual watch for Indian families together. And here we are, it’s a surreal feeling, I have been up reading messages and tweets from all over the country. People are loving it and how,” says Shreyansh.

TVF has spearheaded a type of artistic revolution in India with its momentous tales which have redefined not simply what’s being consumed however even how the backend of the loop works. Writers thrive, ADs turn out to be profitable administrators, and creators at TVF are burgeoning with content material.

“A show like Gullak can breathe only because Arunabh drives a culture of telling simple stories. The performances by Jameel, Geetanjali, Vaibhav, Harsh, Sunita and Saad are brilliant and it’s just magical to see them bringing alive the characters season after season. When Palash is directing a show, I have the confidence that he will completely elevate the script”, says Shreyansh.

“Shreyansh and I have worked on many shows together. We share a warm chemistry. The stories that Shreyansh, as a creator brings to the world of Gullak, gives me rich ground to bring them alive, as the director,” says Palash.