Film review| "Gulai Soor": A Hilarious Heist That Loses Steam
Gulai Soor (2025), from the makers of web-series like Kritikal Kouple (2022) and Kolongpar (2022), comes as that rare Assamese film which in its production design, achieves a significant authenticity in capturing the visual aesthetics and the temporal sensibilities of the specific historical eras it seeks to represent – the 1940s, 1970s, and 1980s. This statement comes from comparing it with recent period films in Assam like Purab Ki Awaaz (2017) Seema - The Untold Story (2019), Wide Angle (2024), etc, which have failed to honestly capture the essence of the era it represented. And regardless of the decade, all the characters mouth dakor bosons (traditional Assamese sayings) twisted as one-liners. It’s a comedy film so it gets a pass.
It is the 1940s and Diga Soor (Tony Deori Basumatary) and his series of local robberies have created a great chaos in the village of Kodomoni. This has become a source of great frustration for the British officer in charge at the local police station. He launches a wide scaled manhunt to capture the thief. The locals turn this into a of source of great amusement. Soor dhora kenekoi poribo? Ajiloike kuneu tar saa tuke dekha nai (How will the thief get caught? Nobody has ever even seen his shadow), asks a villager. However, Diga proves to be too clever. Despite all attempts, he escapes again. “Gulai Soor, you are a legend”, says the officer ultimately.
But eventually, one unlucky day, he gets caught and is subjected to severe public humiliation. In response to this disgrace, Diga gathers notorious thieves and crooks from across Assam and prepares them for one final showdown. Their only challenge? The newly transferred, no-nonsense cop of Kodomoni police station, SI Bhim Deuri (Kenny Basumatary), who gets ‘demonic pleasure’ in crushing the bones of soors and dokaits (thieves and dacoits) and will stop at no cost until the gang is caught.
There is almost always the risk with films dealing with magic, science fiction or time travel, of believing in the story too much and taking so many licenses that ends up entangling the viewer in a labyrinth with no exit. Well, this doesn't even happen in this movie. The beginning of Gulai Soor is immediately interesting and it gradually draws the viewer into the story. Its opening sequence deserves particular appreciation as the unassuming audience, seated in the comfort of luxurious theatres, takes the viewpoint of an unsuspecting household of a village headman. A distant relative has stopped by and unexpectedly plans to stay the night with them. And then we realize why this is a film about the art of stealing, in the most unexpected (but smart) way.
Also to be appreciated is how the film carefully controls the flow of information, revealing just enough without spilling the beans. When a special person arrives in the village with a special artifact, which the thieves, already training under Diga, quickly plot to steal, the film stays back from giving away too much too soon. Hence, the trick works. The film is able to balance what to disclose and when, allowing the audience to adopt a god-like perspective at times, but withholding details at others. This approach keeps the surprise and unpredictability of the movie intact. This is the film biggest merit.
The fact that they pointed out deception (the old game of illusion and deception, with the obvious and the inconspicuous), as the gang of thieves themselves try to highlight several of their actions, the importance of skill, agility, distraction and even teamwork, we don’t question much of our suspense of disbelief. As Diga, the tutor, delivers a lecture to his disciples, he says, “Bohibo janile mati’e pira, pindhibo janile dhuti’e muna” (If you know how to sit, the floor becomes a mat. And if you know how to wear a dhoti, it’s a bag just like that). With this, he opens a fold of his dhoti, and several stolen artifacts fall to the ground.
The story is clever and well thought out. But writer-director Raktim Kamal Baruah wants to prove something more to his audience. He wants to make a film that fully corresponded to the spirit of the times it represents. In this pursuit he is aided by Prayash Sharma Tamuly who employs very particular use of lighting and composition that reflects the period design of the film and the colours of its humour. And the way the production design represents the time the story is located in – from the Hati khujia bati, to old lamps, and outfits, and vehicles, Gulai Soor is a great success. Especially during a time, when filmmakers from Assam are making horrible films in the name of period drama.
The acting ensemble in Gulai Soor - From Kenny Basumatary, Tony Deori Basumatary, Bonny Deori, to Bedabrat Borah, Nabajyoti Nath, Saptrashi Gogoi, Bolin Bora, Himanshu Gogoi and Himanshu Prasad Das - a concentrated load of talented cast, from the diverse genres within comedy, not only promises a lot, but also keeps it.
The cast has great merit that keeps the viewing experience going up in the film. Kenny Basumatary and Himanshu Prasad Das both works around different forms of humor. While it is laugh-out-loud gags for the former, it is satire for the latter. But in this film, there is a scene where both of them are engaged in a well shot fight sequence. Audiences of Assam will perhaps never get to see this (the said actors fighting each other) elsewhere again. Actor Himanshu Gogoi plays a queer character, Gulapi, and brings in a refreshing naivety to the very heart of the plot. This film proves, Himanshu Gogoi as an actor is not to be undermined.
So, you can’t go wrong with an ensemble like this, one would think. But here emerges the main problem of the film. And it is its attempt to tell multiple stories, but struggling to do so simultaneously. As a result, it shifts between these stories one after another. This leads to a constant change in perspective.
Initially, the film centres around the story of Diga Soor. Then, it shifts focus to an All-Assam conclave of thieves who are training and planning something big. Suddenly, the film shifts point of view to an investigation led by the new inspector, SI Bhim Deuri. Before long, the narrative pivots again to focus on a queer character. This gives the film an episodic structure to its narrative. After a certain point, many characters from the ‘school of thieves’ disappear as the new inspector creates havoc among them. They are never seen in the film again.
There’s also a deeper connotation behind the ‘school of thieves’ concept, where each thief is assigned specific tasks to accomplish during their training. A list detailing who steals how much is presented. Each thief proudly claims, he is capable of stealing more than it is mentioned against their name. And in another scene inside a police jeep, a havildar comments, “Ajikali xokoluwe soor aru… (These days everyone steals).” This isn’t far very from our society and politics.
And Gulai Soor does portray how the characters are shaped up by the significant historical and political events of Assam, such as the Great Assam Earthquake and the Assam Movement. The gang of thieves also reflects an inclusive dynamic, with representation of multiple communities within the group— including a Bodo lad and a Muslim lad.
The curve also drops when Maitri Das as a mysterious Chitralekha appear. She is a painter who creates strange sketches of the thief at the police’s request. Maitri Das has fine acting abilities but strangely enough, her character raises more questions of meaning and logic for the plot than is good for the film. It contributes to the already lengthy runtime of the film.
In short, Gulai Soor is an entertaining film, with a fresh and interesting story that maintains a good pace but it can be enjoyed better if the runtime was a bit shorter. What makes all the charm of this film owes much more to the charisma of the actors and the chemistry that is created between their characters. The cast of the film also includes veteran actors like Pratibha Chaudhary, Jayanta Bhagawati and Jayanta Das.
The story is co-written by Akash Deep Deka and Mrinmoy Saikia. The animations of the film were done by Monikundal Bora with art direction by Arnab Swargiary and Joy Aditya and Parashar Kashyap as music composers. The music has the touch of an authentic feeling of nostalgia, like listening to stories about village life from our elders and grandparents, especially when the animated sequences of the film play out. Gulai Soor is produced by Dhritiman Das and Majid Khan. The film also occasionally employs beautiful animations to narrate the adventures of Diga Soor which enhances the effect of storytelling and keeps the viewers invested.
In a unique effort to publicize and promote Assamese film, the team, before the release of the film, also took to the busy streets of Guwahati and carried out several spontaneous promotional activities with music and masks, which are central elements of the film's story. They displayed posters by boarding city buses one after another and roamed around the streets wearing the masks. The effectiveness of this promotional strategy remains to be seen, and only time will tell its success.
Also, to note, the theatrical release of Gulai Soor on 17th January comes as the first Assamese release of 2025, and it coincides with Silpi Divas and the one-year anniversary of the opening of Aideo Cinema Hall by the Assam State Film Finance & Development Corporation Ltd., which also serves as a co-producer for the film. The premiere event of the film also took place at Aideo Cinema Hall.