Created by the ingenious duo Raj & DK, ‘Guns & Gulaabs’ is a captivating narrative set in the early ’90s in the precarious town called Gulaabganj. The series boasts a dynamic cast, including Rajkummar Rao, Dulquer Salmaan, Adarsh Gourav, T.J. Bhanu, Gulshan Devaiah and the late Satish Kaushik, and it was released on August 18, on Netflix.
In an exclusive interaction with Outlook India, Raj & DK got candid about how they came up with the series, and of course, the idea behind such an interesting title.
Talking about it, the duo said, “Everytime we do a next film or a show, we tend to think about what else we can do besides what we have already done. We try to go as possible from the previous story we told. With ‘Family Man’ and ‘Farzi,’ we have been handling serious subjects, despite them having humour in them. With ‘Guns and Gulaabs’, we just wanted to let loose and have fun, and just make it a purely entertaining, pulpy story with no restrictions. Make larger than life characters, have cinematic shots and music. We wanted to go all out, more like an outlet from what we have done. We did a similar thing with ‘Go Goa Gone’, and made something hilarious and quirky. This was the thought behind the series.”
The series is an ode to Bollywood in the nineties, and the genre-blending series is a perfect amalgamation of romance, comedy, action, pulp, thrill and twists.
So, did Raj & DK have any apprehensions that the current generation might not relate to the 90s setting, to which they quipped, “See, we don’t have this to say it’s a throwback or the 90s nostalgia. You don’t need to know the 90s films to watch the film. The 90s is just a backdrop, it is just a way of using that era to lay the certain rules, of no internet, no mobile phones and how lovers used to interact. Because it is really about the characters that are quite colourful. 90s just like a garnish, and it is for those who have lived in that time, and who can feel that nostalgia. But if we didn’t have that, you would still watch the film and understand it, like ‘Oppenheimer’.”
For the series cast, the duo got on board Rajkummar Rao, Adarsh Gourav, Gulshan Devaiah and Dulquer Salmaan, and together, they paint a wild, wild world in which a high stakes deal unfolds.
Speaking how Rajkummar was always in their mind even when they were developing the show, Raj & DK revealed, “He was our first choice. All other actors were figured out when we were done with the script and all, and ready for production. Adarsh Gourav came naturally because he fits the profile so well, he has this inner vulnerability but he can also surprise, and we were impressed with The White Tiger. Gulshan Devaiah came to our mind when we were thinking of a bizarre, wacky actor, and who has an unpredictable persona.”
Revealing how Dulquer’s casting was a last minute event, the duo added, “He was simply not on our radar because he does not do a lot of Hindi films, and he probably would have been busy with his projects in the South. But when we called him, he was happy and he was to shoot in the next two weeks. He had the least amount of prep time, but he seamlessly blended into the series.”
Work wise, they have wrapped up the shoot of the Indian chapter of ‘Citadel’ last month, and it is now in post-production. “So now, just fingers crossed,” Raj & DK signed off.
