Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Guns & Gulaabs’ on Netflix, Where Criminals, Cops, And A Wistful Mechanic Match Wits In Gang-Controlled Town In India

Subtle humor, crime thriller stakes, and bursts of pulpy violence combine in Guns & Gulaabs (Netflix), an entertaining seven-part limited series from creating, directing, and co-writing duo Raj & DK, otherwise known as Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK. Wild West vibes abound in a small town in early 1990s India, where rival gangs vie for control of the local opium supply, a narcotics investigator fresh from Bombay finds himself caught in the middle, and a local mechanic tries to reckon with his career criminal father’s legacy as he pines for pretty schoolteacher. Guns & Gulaabs stars Rajkummar Rao and Dulquer Salmaan alongside Adarsh Gourav, Gulshan Devaiah, and TJ Bhanu.  

GUNS & GULAABS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT? 

Opening Shot: The gentle sway of a field of poppies in the late afternoon is disturbed by a man running for his life from an armed gang of thugs. Cries of “Stop him!” break the solitude of the little rural village of Gulaabgunj.

The Gist: Tipu (Rao) has a problem. Well, not just one, but his difficulties start with Babu Tiger (Arijit Dutta), whose gig as the chief henchman for Gulaabgunji crime boss Mr. Ganchi (Satish Kaushik) caused him no end of static even when Babu was alive. After a confrontation with Ganchi and his son Jugnu (Gourev) at his father’s funeral service, Tipu dismisses the threatening undertones and returns to his work at Vayu Motors, the ramshackle shop where he repairs motorbikes. But Vayu also represents one of his other problems. Tipu isn’t interested in working for Ganchi. But he despises working for his uncle, because without a shop of his own, how will he ever win the heart of local English teacher Chandralekha (Bhanu)? 

Ganchi has his own issues. Babu Tiger was his best man, and with him gone, it’ll be more difficult to keep the rival Sherpur gang at bay while also fulfilling the ambitious terms of his latest opium deal. During a testy meeting, Ganchi assures a big-time gangster visiting from Calcutta that the order will come through without a hitch. But to do that, it will take every ounce of the local crop, all of Ganchi’s influence over the corrupt local cops, and a production increase at the large government-operated opium factory in town. And none of that will be easy to do, now that new detective Arjun (Salmaan) has arrived from Bombay with a host of questions and suspicions. 

Who killed Babu Tiger? Word on the street says it was Atmaram (Devaiah), an infamous hitman known for his stylized, nearly ritualistic approach to killing, who the Sherpur must have hired to do the deed. The two gangs already hated each other. At a roadhouse outside of town, there’s literally a line drawn down the middle, restraining each group’s respective goons from ripping each other apart. But the Babu killing has escalated the tension at a time when Ganchi can least afford it, with his large format drug deal in the works. And as Tipu bumbles through his latest attempt to reveal his love to Chandralekha, he enlists the aid of three local teenagers who may or may not be fully in his corner. In addition to their skills with the English language, which Tipu needs to help him woo Lekha, the boys might also know something more about the secrets Babu left behind.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Guns & Gulaabs creators Raj & DK also brought the exciting espionage thriller The Family Man to Prime Video; that show’s upcoming third season was announced in May. And Rajkummar Rao and Adarsh Gourav also co-starred in the wonderful 2021 dramedy White Tiger alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas.  

Our Take: An indication of where Guns & Gulaabs is coming from arrives early on when tendrils of smoke drift out of the gruesome gash in Babu Tiger’s neck as he smokes his final cigarette. It’s a witty, nicely underplayed touch that matches well with the bursts of VFX that accompany the gang violence in Gulaabs. Like the gobs of comic book-y blood that appear on camera to punctuate knife wounds. Or the treated film and bold edits that animate the introduction of feared, mysterious, and perhaps immortal hired killer Atmaram – first his blade cleanses, next it forgives your sins, then it frees you from temptation, and finally your soul meets God. Take all of this with the rusty revolvers and madcap fighting spirit of Mr. Ganchi’s gang, and the pulpy tone of this series is set quickly and capably. 

But there’s sentiment here, too. As the goodhearted Tipu longs to impress Chandralekha, he hires some local teens to write her a love letter, and a running gag develops as they strive to plagiarize Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” as a perfumed mash note. And when all of the local crime action inevitably touches Tipu’s everyday life, the resulting violence plays as both jarring and comedic, aligning the sweet side of Guns & Gulaabs with its flair for interpreting the tone of 1970s and 80s Bombay crime films. Figure in distinctive production design that takes its cues from the same era, plus some nuggets on the soundtrack, and there’s a lot to enjoy about the world Gulaabs has built.   

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: A random encounter with two goons from the Sherpur gang at his motorcycle repair shop quickly turns dangerous for Tipu when they connect him to the departed Babu Tiger. “Wasn’t your dad that gangster? How did he die? Was he murdered?” etc., etc. And the taunts escalate until Tipu makes the somewhat rash decision to end it. After all, in a mechanic’s shop, heavy wrenches are always close at hand.

Sleeper Star: Adarsh Gourav has a couple of great scenes here as Jugnu, Mr. Ganchi’s son and the heir apparent to his criminal enterprise. Gourav plays him with a quiet arrogance, so much so that an underling feeding Jugnu bites of a samosa feels bizarre, comical and threatening at the very same time.

Most Pilot-y Line: “This is our first deal,” the gangster from Calcutta tells Ganchi, “and everyone is worried you won’t be able to deliver such a big order of opium.” The opium situation hangs over everything in Gulaabgunj – who controls the crop, its production, and all of the corruption that comes with it, something Arjun has arrived from Bomby specifically to investigate.

Our Call: STREAM IT. A fine ensemble cast energizes the pulp violence and lovestruck vibes coursing through Guns & Gulaabs, where there are sure to be showdowns and comeuppances that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Western.