The cast of Gullak on the show’s success, behind-the-scenes camaraderie and the Indian middle class

TVF’s Gullak has been striking a chord of nostalgia and recognition among viewers for about five years now. The series follows the daily life of the Mishras, an ordinary middle-class family who cares about their monthly budget, have nosy neighbors and love to gossip about things together. A Gullak (piggy bank) sitting in their home tells their touching story, episode by episode, with interesting interpretations and its own anecdotes.

As the show returns with a new season after a long gap of one and a half years, the Mishra men played by Jamil Khan, Vaibhav Raj Gupta and Harsh Mayar speak candidly to Gadgets360 about the new season, the behind-the-scenes camaraderie, and the secret behind the show’s massive success. Khan here plays the idealistic Santosh Mishra, the head of the family; Gupta plays the eldest son Anna Mishra; and Mayar plays the notorious junior, Aman Mishra.

Gullak’s cast on the similarities between them and their characters

One area where Gullak has always scored points is in the subtle acting. The Mishras are known to handle their roles so effortlessly that one can forget that it is just an act. When we at Gadget360 became curious about how similar the actors are to the roles they play, the Mishras revealed the secrets:

“Santosh Mishra and I are more alike than you might think. We are united by the same innocence, simplicity and great love for our families. This is how I feel about him…[that] sometimes I start to wonder if maybe [in an improvised scene] it was Santosh or Jameel,” Khan tells us.

Khan’s on-screen son shares similar emotions in real life. Gupta shares that it took a lot of effort to successfully get into Annu’s skin, and now the character has become a part of his inner life. “There are only a few left in the world [admirable] people like Annu. He loves everyone so much. Playing with him fills me with nostalgia and makes me want to spend more time with my family,” says Gupta. “We have become so united that it feels like he has a permanent room in my heart. Whenever I want to take him out, I just have to open that door.”

Although two of the three Mishras had much more in common with the actors, Mayar admitted that he was completely different from Aman and that his teenage years were the complete opposite.

Aman has just passed his board exams. When I was his age, I did a lot of theater and didn’t want to study much.” As different as Mayar and Aman are, the National Award-winning actor points out that while the character is loosely based on the first, season writer Nikhil Vijay Mayar has added some of his own elements to Aman thanks to the “creative support” of the directors and writers.

The cast of “Gullak” reveals the secret of the show’s success

While TVF has produced many popular shows over the past decade, Gullak enjoys a special status: Khan, Gupta and Mayar agree. The trio attributes the success to the strong script, the relatability of the show, the sense of nostalgia it evokes, the enormous effort put into the show behind the scenes, the sincerity of the entire team and the audience who still cherishes the show. , years after it began.

“The middle class section has been ignored for so long. There weren’t many stories about them. But now Gullak has filled that gap,” says Khan, comparing the series to the work of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, a pioneer of mid-range cinema in India. He also expresses concern that ethics and moral values ​​are gradually dwindling in modern society: “In times like these, the need for shows like Gullak becomes more urgent.”

Gupta also shared an interesting tidbit with us: “On the sets of Gullak, you will see that everyone is very cheerful and having fun. Not only the main cast, but the entire crew, including the director and cameraman, are close. We discuss, rehearse, improvise and play pranks on each other a lot. The same synergy continues on screen.”

This season, Gullak is involved in new storylines and is working with a new director and writer.

When a show goes on for so long, the risk of losing the original essence increases. Considering that Gullak now has a new director and writer in the form of Shreyansh Pandey and Vidit Tripathi, it is only natural for fans to be apprehensive. However, the trio insist that “the taste of Gullak remains intact.”

“Shreyansh and Vidit were under a lot of pressure. [to make sure that the core of the show remains the same]. But they know how to bring out the best in actors and how much time they need to devote to each of us to prepare. When I came to know that they were part of the project, I knew that the show would be a huge success,” says Gupta.

“They didn’t start filming until they were completely satisfied. Der se aye chaahe, par mazaa ana chahiye (the show should be fun, even if it means a slight delay),” adds Gupta, who brought to our attention that Gullak was first filmed in winter (perhaps a metaphor for the somewhat serious turn the show is taking this time?)

While the actors didn’t reveal much about what new things will happen this season, it was clear that the Mishras had to bring different layers this time around, especially Aman, who is now on the cusp of adulthood.

“There have been a lot of changes in my character this season and I was even skeptical before making the show. However, the essence of the character remained the same, and there were no fundamental changes. We also have intensive workshops to ensure that the character’s innocence is preserved,” assures Maillard. According to the actor, while it seems like this season will be all about Aman, “the trailer doesn’t show even one percent of what’s going on this time.”

Gullak actors talk about interacting with fans and talk about the show’s success

“They used to just call us by our characters’ names, but now audiences have started to recognize the actor behind them,” Maillard happily tells us. Recalling a trip to Europe, he says he was shocked to discover that he had fans on this side of the globe who knew him by name.

“Many people I met after Gullak said that they saw me as their father, brother or even husband. They fell in love with Santosh Mishra. A lot of them say we want to keep watching you or listening to you,” Khan shares.

“It’s not that they’re starstruck, it’s that you can feel a real connection, and that’s a great feeling for an artist. That’s all that matters!”

Gullak’s cast on future seasons

While there is no confirmation about a new season, the cast seems excited about the idea. “Eighty to ninety percent of people in India belong to the middle class. There are so many interesting stories going on around here. Even a change in onion prices can become one chapter,” chuckles Gupta. He is confident that as long as “the middle class will have new kiss(jokes)” Gullak has potential for a sequel; and since the average person always has a story to tell, Gullak has no expiration date.

Gullak season four is now streaming on SonyLiv.