‘Guns & Gulaabs’ Creators Raj & DK: We Naturally Lean Towards Finding Humour In Everyday Situations

Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., known as Raj & DK, are an Indian screenwriter, director and producer duo, who are best known for the Prime Video series ‘The Family Man’ (2019), ‘Farzi’ (2023) and the recently released Netflix series ‘Guns & Gulaabs’ (2023), which stars Rajkummar Rao, Dulquer Salmaan, Adarsh Gourav, and Gulshan Devaiah. 

But not just OTT, the duo are known for satirical, often hilarious and often dark work in films like ‘Go Goa Gone’ (2013) And ‘Stree’ (2018). And of course, one cannot miss ‘Shor In The City’ (2011). 

Nonetheless, it cannot go unnoticed that be it ‘Go Goa Gone’ Or ‘Stree’ and now with ‘Guns and Gulaabs’, the creators are known for genre-blending. But despite different stories, comedy remains an integral element in all their projects.

When asked why that is, Krishna D.K. said in an exclusive chat with Outlook, “I mean it is organic and intrinsic. When we were making films, like more say in the real world, we used to find humour in everyday life. Even if you are a gangster, it doesn't stop you from doing the normal, mundane things like regular people. It doesn't mean that you don’t have to pay the electricity bill and so forth. But when we went into genres which were more fantastical in nature, like ‘Stree’ or ‘Go Goa Gone’, the natural humour takes a new shape. For instance, we find everyday humour in a fantastic aura, like you see a zombie, and you wonder what they are doing in India. It is like a Meta question, like zombies are more of a Hollywood concept right? Well, it is because of globalisation. It is naturally leaning towards finding humour in everyday situations.”

Raj Nidimoru added to it, “It comes organically to us, and how you see things. For instance, a person going through heartbreak and crying, you could romanticise it by music and shoot it beautifully for the audience to feel his pain. Another way to do this is to remove the trappings, and have the guy cry aesthetically, and put a camera on it. It would look quite funny in a sad way. Horror itself is a silly genre because it does not exist in real life, nobody has seen ghosts or monsters. Horror comedy is such a trope genre that you cannot take it seriously. We tend to look at things realistically. Like Shrikant Tiwari in ‘The Family Man’ is running after a man who is 20 years younger than him. So how far can he run, he will have to stop and take a ride on a scooter. It is really being practical and sensible, and that when you shoot with conviction, it automatically gets a smile on your face. Just the way it played out. It is there to grab. When we came in to make films, the louder sidetracks was what comedy was meant to be. For us, there is a lot of satire, there is a lot of an observational point to it. Anything we make is not just a comedy, it is a horror comedy. We look at everyone as an interesting human being. That’s the idea.”

Coming to ‘Guns & Gulaabs’, the series is set against the backdrop of the 1990s, when everything is simpler, and hopeful. So how was it to create the 90s genre without any apprehensions that the current generation might not relate to the setting?

The duo stated, “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 it. 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’. 

Clearly, the advent of OTT has given creators and filmmakers the creative freedom to experiment with storytelling and genres. And the duo completely agree to it. 

“It is a haven for filmmakers for sure, because the format lends itself to various kinds of freedom, from the kind of story you want to tell, the kind of structure you want to build and the cast you want to put together. On the other hand, it all boils down to the story and the way you want to say it in the theatrical release, and also, it should work better at the box office. So, with OTT, you have the freedom to play with storytelling, and even craft it all together. It is like playing a test match, you can play all kinds of shots, build up, slow down, do all kinds of things. Having said that, both forms excite the audience, so you have to work on both. We grow as filmmakers when you make a film or project for different formats,” the duo signed off.

‘Guns & Gulaabs’ dropped on Netflix on 18 August.