Mira Nair praises Sharmila Tagore and Manoj Bajpayee’s film Gulmohar: ‘I loved the specificity with which it was written'

Fans have been eagerly waiting for the forthcoming film Gulmohar ever since streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar dropped its trailer a couple of weeks ago. The film stars veteran actress Sharmila Tagore and Manoj Bajpayee in lead roles while Amol Palekar, Simran, Suraj Sharma, Kaveri Seth, and Utsavi Jha play supporting characters.

Helmed by Rahul Chittella, Gulmohar is a bittersweet tale of a family which revolves around Sharmila Tagore’s character who is the matriarch of the house and, triggered by some emotions, decides to sell the family house named Gulmohar to a builder.

Filmmaker Mira Nair, who is known for such films as The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Monsoon Wedding, saw the rough cuts of the film some time ago and seemed quite impressed with debutant director Rahul Chittella’s work.

Praising the film, she said, “The first time I saw Gulmohar in rough cut, what stayed with me was the rare thing; it evoked a feeling. It has a mood. It has a powerful sense of atmosphere and a feeling of people trying to find what makes life work, feeling the blows of life as they try to move forward. I loved the specificity with which it was written and conceived. Each character felt quite distinctive.”

Praising her protégé and producing partner Rahul Chittella, she added, “And yet what they were aspiring for in the world of Gulmohar was happiness. So why do we create walls between each other? Why do we cause our unhappiness? These are wise questions for a young filmmaker like Rahul; it was beautiful to see in Gulmohar. This evocation of wisdom and emotion and people in different ways, each striving for what could make them happy.”

Gulmohar is slated for release on 3rd March 2023 on Disney+ Hotstar.