New Delhi, Aug 3 (PTI): Filmmaker Raj Nidimoru on Wednesday said he and his writing partner Krishna DK love blending genres together and they got an opportunity to do just that with their first Netflix series “Guns & Gulaabs”, which is set in the 1990s.
Raj, one-half of the acclaimed writer duo Raj & DK known for hit titles such as “Stree”, “The Family Man”, and “Farzi”, said they let themselves free for the upcoming show.
“We completely let ourselves loose on something we always have loved, this genre mashup. We had a lot of fun creating it,” Raj said at the trailer launch of “Guns & Gulaabs” here.
The event was also attended by DK, co-writer Suman Kumar, as well as actors Rajkummar Rao, Gulshan Devaiah, and Dulquer Salmaan.
“This is also a throwback to our initial films like ’99’, ‘Shor in the City’. That kind of genre and energy. In a way, it’s us going back to our own early sensibilities,” added DK, who serves as co-creator on the show with Raj.
This is the fourth web series collaboration for Raj & DK, following Prime Video’s “The Family Man”, “Unpaused” anthology (segment ‘Glitch’), and “Farzi”.
Set in the 1990s, “Guns & Gulaabs” follows the story of a lovestruck mechanic Paana Tipu (Rajkummar), a reluctant heir to a ruling gang Chhota Ganchi (Adarsh Gourav), an honest officer-turned-agent-of-chaos Arjun Verma (Dulquer), and a killer called 4-cut Atmaram (Gulshan).
Asked who defined the ’90s era for him, Rajkummar said it has always been superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
“The one and only Mr Shah Rukh Khan sa’ab. The most handsome ‘jawan’ of all,” he said, referencing Shah Rukh’s upcoming film.
Dulquer also mentioned Shah Rukh as an inspiration as he talked about his hit Telugu film “Sita Ramam” (2022) was an ode to the superstar’s romance films from the 1990s.
“No matter how hard I try, the romantic tag always finds me. It became stronger with ‘Sita Ramam’. I think ‘Sita Ramam’ was my ‘DDLJ’ (‘Diwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ starring Shah Rukh),” he added.
From the time period, music to fashion, the force of nostalgia is strong in “Guns & Gulaabs” and the creator duo said it is because the ’90s were a “simpler” era.
“Life is too easy now and quick. (In the ’90s), there was a lot more effort… you had to work hard at everything and so the results were also sweeter in every single aspect of life. I think it’s in our nature to look back at the time we were in. Nostalgia is a part of us and there is always a charm. As soon as you think about the past, there’s a charm to it. It brings a smile to your face,” said Raj.
DK said the concept of nostalgia will differ from generation to generation.
“Of course, that’s what we feel today. Thirty years from now, there will be a generation of people saying ‘Oh 2020’s were an amazing period with social media.’ I read this somewhere a while back that ‘nostalgia is roughly 30-40 years before your time’. People like us, who bring out films and series and studios, can relate,” he added
