For over five seasons now, the audience of the series Gullak has been privy to the Mishra family celebrating the small joys of life as well as navigating disagreements and disappointments. With its new season dropping on SonyLIV on Friday, Jameel Khan, who plays Santosh, the head of the Mishra family, ruminates on the journey. “When we look back, we look so different from Season 1. Emotionally, there is more maturity and sensitivity towards family values.” The relationship between the parents, Shanti and Santosh, has deepened, while the dynamic between them and their sons, Anand and Aman, has evolved. “As human beings we change. The characters are more mature now,” says Geetanjali Kulkarni, who plays the role of Shanti.
This evolution, however, extends beyond the fictional family to the actors themselves. Harsh Mayar, who plays Aman, has grown up on the show, which premiered in June 2019. “In the first Season, I was playing a 15-year-old even though I was 22. I had to work on my voice and body language to match my character’s age,” he shares. What has helped him deliver a convincing portrayal of Aman as he goes through teenage troubles and discovers what he wants to pursue in life is the close-knit environment of the set and bond he shares with his co-actors. “As actors, we are given a lot of space. We keep improvising.” Khan says, “When I look at old reels and footage, the growth of Harsh is heartening.”
There is a noticeable change in this season as the character of Anand Mishra aka Annu, which was previously essayed by Vaibhav Raj Gupta, is now being played by Anant Joshi. Even though Joshi is a new addition to the ensemble, he has been quite familiar with the world of Gullak. “I used to watch the show and always admired it. To now play a much-loved character in it is quite surreal,” says Joshi, who has acted in films such as Kathal (2023) and 12th Fail (2023).
A still from the series
Since he had worked with Mayar and Kulkarni previously, the rapport with them also helped him in stepping in to play this well-established character. Mayar calls Joshi’s decision to play Annu courageous. “It is not easy to fill someone else’s shoes,” says Mayar, who played the lead in I Am Kalam (2011). Kulkarni adds that bonding with Joshi came naturally, while Khan found it fascinating to respond to the energy the actor brought to the role.
The much-loved character of Bittu Ki Mummy — a nosy and noisy neighbour — played by Sunita Rajwar (of Santosh and Panchayat fame) has become a part of this household over the seasons. Describing her character as the ‘Joker in a pack of cards’, Rajwar says, “From being a neighbour to getting emotionally attached to the family, it has been a great journey. My character is annoying but has many shades and that has helped me grow
as an actor.”
Kulkarni, a National School of Drama graduate with an impressive body of work in theatre and films, credits “extensive rehearsals” for their “effortless” performances and “improvisation” on the sets. She recounts how a popular car-parking sequence from Season 4 was the result of improvisation. “When Jameel and Harsh created that scene when they were parking an imaginary car, I had never imagined that it would happen on screen. I looked at them with amazement even though my character reacts differently on screen,” says Kulkarni, who is part of the just-released film Maa Behen and the series Khauf (2025).
What has struck a chord with the audience, believe the actors, is the relatability of the characters, situations and the story. The show highlights the everyday experiences and concerns of middle-class Indian families. “In some episode or another, people find something they connect with,” says Kulkarni. Khan, who features in Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), shares how the series is picked by families and friends when they want to watch something together. “The love from the audience is very genuine. People are emotionally attached to it,” says Mayar.
The Mishras may be fictional, but their evolution feels authentic since they reflect the experiences of common Indian families. The actors, however, have certain things to convey to their characters. “I will ask Shanti to take it easy,” says Kulkarni, while Rajwar does not want her character to change, “I love all the quirkiness Bittu ki Mummy has.”
Khan wants to assure Santosh that: “Keep it going. It is working.” Mayar loves his character and wants Aman to know “Bahut pyaara aadmi hai (He is a lovable person)”. Joshi would egg his character on to “take more risks since he has a protective family”.
The cast from Season 5 of Gullak 
A still from the series
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