Imagine Manmohan Desai, Subhash Ghai, and Sameer Malkan came together to deliver a film. That film would have all the elements of crime, action, a spoonful of romance, and even heaps of comedy. And this is exactly what Raj & DK‘s latest Netflix series, Guns & Gulaabs, delivers tastefully to perfection.
In the fictional town of Gulaabgunj, poppy fields sway in the air. There’s a staunch rivalry between two gangs who want to take full control of the opium flow. There’s a mechanic who is head over heels in love with a teacher. School kids try to find out if their crush likes them back by using FLAMES. There’s a mercenary killer who’s on a mission. I mean, how much more 90s and retro can it get?
Guns & Gulaabs is the perfect ode to the 90s pulp fiction massy movies – both Hollywood and Bollywood. The name, itself, is a hat tip to the famous band – Guns N’ Roses. Each episode is named after an iconic movie, dialogue, or a song from a yesteryear film (‘Ek Ladka Aur Ladki Kabhi Dost Nahi Ho Sakte‘ to ‘Raat Baaki‘). One episode is named after a much-loved game show. The nostalgia lies in these small details.
Each character in Guns & Gulaabs has a quirk that’s very reminiscent of a 90s movie, and it has been done tastefully. While the 90s movies glorified a man stalking a woman, here the dynamic has changed. The woman (Chandralekha, or as Tipu calls her – Lekha) rides a moped and tells the man that she doesn’t see a future with him…and he listens. A local gang leader (Ganchi) falls from a wooden platform and slips into a coma. That’s such a 90s trope.
The local cop, Arjun, detests remixes. So much so that while driving he throws out a cassette playing Hoga Tumse Pyaara Kaun because he realizes it’s the Jhankaar Beats version and not the OG; and that’s pretty much how most of our parents reacted to remixes that topped the charts in the 90s.
While the adults listened to the top Hindi songs of that era, the school kids listened to English songs on their cassette player boombox. They run a love letter-writing racket. The bard of Gulaabgunj (Nannu) cannot write without music, and guess what song he chooses? Bryan Adams’ iconic song, Everything I Do…I Do It For You. Music plays a major role in establishing the whole 90s vibe in the series. There’s a scene where the cop and his wife dance to Tu Hai Wahi and although that’s romantic, you can sense the palpitating tension in the air.
Coming to the action sequences, Paana Tipu rides a Yamaha RX 100. While the mercenary, Chaar Cut Atmaram, rides a Yezdi. Atmaram reminds you of Sanjay Dutt in Khal Nayak. His haircut is a dead giveaway. He has tattooed fingers, a mysterious demeanour, a golden tooth, and a knack for keeping the STD calls to under a minute. Tipu and his friend, Sunil, watch Shaolin Ka Chhatteeswa Kamra which is a perfect nod to all the Hindi dubbed Hollywood movies that made their way to the single-screen theatres of small towns and cities.
The world of Gulaabgunj is a perfect ode to the bygone era. Panna Tipu sips on a Campa Cola at a roadside dhaba that’s frequented by the gangs of Gulaabgunj and Sherpur. Meanwhile, a bulbous pink bottle of perfume (Pink Mamba) plays a significant role. The opening title takes you back to the handwritten posters that were extremely popular back then, and even the credits are so iconic that they deserve an article of their own.
It’s not every day that we come across a series that rides on nostalgia without coming across as cheesy. Guns & Gulaabs is rustic and delightfully chaotic just like the 90s films that we grew up watching, and we congratulate Raj & DK for what they’ve been able to accomplish with the show.
(All images have been taken from the show unless specified otherwise)