Guns & Gulaabs

Guns & Gulaabs, a 2023 Indian Hindi-language black comedy crime thriller series, is now available for streaming on Netflix. This show was both created and directed by Raj & DK and produced by D2R Films in collaboration with Netflix. The talented cast includes Rajkummar Rao, Dulquer Salmaan, Adarsh Gourav, Goutam Sharma, Gourav Sharma, Sanchay Goswami, and Gulshan Devaiah.

The series gets its name, ‘Guns & Gulaabs,’ from the influence of the iconic American hard rock band, Guns N’ Roses. It made its debut on Netflix on August 18, 2023. In a special musical touch, Kumar Sanu performed a romantic song titled ‘Do Raazi’ for Rajkummar Rao’s character within the series.

Premise:

Taking place within the backdrop of the crime-ridden 1990s, the series portrays a narrative where love and naivety intertwine with humor and romance.

Cast:

1. Rajkummar Rao as Paana “Spanner” Tipu alias Tiger Tipu
2. Dulquer Salmaan as Arjun Varma
3. Gulshan Devaiah as Chaar Cut Atmaram
4. Adarsh Gourav as Jugnu “Chhotu” Ganchi, Ganchi’s son
5. Sushil Kumar as Dheeraj
6. Rajatava Dutta as Sukanto
7. Goutam Sharma as Suneel, Tipu’s friend
8. Gourav Sharma as Aneel, Suneel’s brother
9. Satish Kaushik as Ganchi, Chhota’s father
10. Nilesh Divekar as Nabeed, Ganchi’s rival
11. TJ Bhanu as Chandralekha “Lekha”
12. Pooja Gor as Madhu Varma, Arjun’s wife
13. Suhani Sethi as Jyotsna “Jo” Varma, Arjun and Madhu’s daughter
14. Shreya Dhanwanthary as Yamini
15. Vipin Sharma as Mahendra
16. Ashmith Kunder as Sambi
17. Manuj Sharma as Bunty, Tipu’s friend
18. Sanchay Goswami as Nirmal
19. Varun Badola as Pratap
20. Jeetendra Shastri as Mandir Pandit
21. Krish Rao as Lalkrishna Panwar “Nannu”
22. Tanishq Chaudhary as Gangram “Gangu”
23. Araham Sawant as Ikhlaq
24. Adrija Sinha as Mamta
25. Kumar Saurabh as Madari Baba

Episodes:

Ep-1: Har Insaan Mein Hai Shaitaa

The narrative unfolds in Gulaabganj, an imaginary town known for its government-sanctioned opium cultivation. Here, the distribution of opium is predominantly overseen by two competing factions headed by Ganchi and Nabeed. Gangaram, a local student, becomes an eyewitness to the assassination of Babu Tiger, Ganchi’s trusted lieutenant, carried out by a contract killer known as Four-Cut Aatmaram.

Ep-2: Everything I Do … I Do It For You

Tipu and his buddy Suneel successfully dispose of one of the bodies, but the other is discovered by Aatmaram’s henchmen. Arjun has a meeting with Yamini, the enigmatic caller, who uses some incriminating photos to blackmail him. Following a confrontation with the intermediary Dheeraj, Arjun successfully prevents the compromising photos from reaching Madhu. Ganchi, who has never handled such a significant opium quantity before, approaches Arjun with a bribe, but Arjun remains resolute and refuses.

Ep-3: Kasam Paida Karnewale Ki

Ganchi is currently in the ICU, in a coma, and his condition is being kept confidential by his son, Jugnu, and his associates. However, Aatmaram gets wind of this and informs Nabeed. Seizing this opportunity, Nabeed begins to conduct raids on the farmers who supply opium to Ganchi. Meanwhile, Tipu, who is deeply saddened by Suneel’s death and initially contemplates leaving town due to his feelings of insignificance, has a change of heart when he encounters Aatmaram and realizes his strong desire for vengeance. He decides to align himself with the Ganchi gang and is given the responsibility of guarding Ganchi in the ICU.

Ep-4: Deal Ya No Deal

Jugnu pays a visit to his friend Nirmal, who appears to be a former romantic partner. Jugnu is deeply disturbed by the fact that he has taken a life. He longs for a return to their college days, but Nirmal, who is now married, is hesitant. Mishra advises Jugnu to reconsider his agreement with Sukanto, but Jugnu dismisses this suggestion. Subsequently, Mishra arranges a meeting between Sukanto and Nabeed because he doubts Jugnu’s ability to fulfill the opium transaction.

Ep-5: Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain

Arjun has a meeting with Pratap and consents to a substantial payment to put an end to the blackmail. Meanwhile, at the ICU, doctors update Jugnu on Ganchi’s recovery, stating that he’s improving but will require more time to regain full consciousness. Jugnu is eager to finalize the transaction before Ganchi fully regains consciousness, as he is determined to demonstrate his worth to his father.

Ep-6: Pyaar Chutiyapa Hai

Arjun enlists Ramprasad by sharing his belief that taking from criminals is morally justified. Arjun then confirms the date for the opium delivery with Sukanto but is observed by Tipu and Bunty. Meanwhile, Jugnu learns that Ganchi was prepared to designate Nabeed as his successor, as he had failed to have a male heir (until Jugnu was born). This leads Jugnu to question why Ganchi wouldn’t consider allowing one of his daughters to take charge of the business.

Ep-7: Raat Baaki

Arjun strikes a deal with Mishra to relocate the opium to a warehouse, with the agreement that they will split the profits 50-50. Concurrently, he approaches Tipu and proposes a plan to steal the opium from the warehouse and deliver it to Sukanto in a remote wooded area, promising to clear Lekha’s father’s name in return. Frustrated with Nabeed’s constant insults, Aatmaram takes matters into his own hands and eliminates Nabeed at his residence. Afterward, he is hired by the intermediary Dheeraj, who has been excluded from the Pratap-Arjun arrangement, to abduct Jo. Nannu, meanwhile, composes a rap song for Jo and starts reciting it to her, but their interaction is interrupted when they are both kidnapped by Aatmaram’s associates.

Production:

The series was formally unveiled in January 2022 through a press release from Netflix. The initial promotional poster featuring the main stars, Rajkummar Rao and Dulquer Salmaan, was made public in March 2022.

Filming began in Dehradun and Mussoorie in early January 2022, even before the official announcement. The production team shared that the shoot spanned nearly 100 days, largely due to the impact of the third wave of COVID-19 in India. The series concluded its shooting in April 2022.

A brief teaser for the series was published on Netflix India’s YouTube channel on January 31, 2022. The official trailer, along with the release date, was revealed on August 2, 2023.

Release:

The series premiered on Netflix in the Hindi language and was also made available in dubbed versions in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada.