Raj And DK Celebrate 3 Years Of Guns And Gulaabs With A Nostalgic Look At Its Wild World

Three years after Guns & Gulaabs first landed on Netflix, creators Raj & DK are taking fans back to the wonderfully strange world that made the series stand out. The filmmaker duo marked the anniversary of the black comedy crime thriller by sharing behind the scenes memories and celebrating the retro visual language that gave the show its unmistakable personality.

Reflecting on the series, Raj & DK described Guns & Gulaabs as “one of those rare, one-of-a-kind worlds” they had the opportunity to shoot. They highlighted its retro, anamorphic, kitsch and pulp-inspired style, adding that the series was essentially a mood of its own. Their anniversary message also praised the cast and crew while thanking Netflix for trusting them with such an unconventional project.

The filmmakers' post was accompanied by four vibrant comic book-inspired posters created by artist Chetan Patil. The artwork features characters such as Arjun, Aatmaram and Tipu surrounded by guns, roses and dramatic sunbursts, perfectly reflecting the heightened aesthetic that became one of Guns & Gulaabs' biggest talking points.

The series premiered on Netflix on August 18, 2023, and immediately stood out for refusing to play by the usual rules of the crime genre. Instead of presenting a straightforward gangster story, Raj & DK mixed crime, romance, comedy and eccentric characters with a distinctly retro cinematic flavour.

Set in the cartel-controlled town of Gulaabgunj, the story revolves around an opium deal that spirals into chaos. A tough city cop and a romantically troubled mechanic find themselves caught in a dangerous web of criminals, unlikely alliances and unexpected complications. The result is a world where violence can arrive with a straight face while the next scene delivers an absurdly funny moment.

Dulquer Salmaan, Rajkummar Rao, Adarsh Gourav and Gulshan Devaiah led the cast, bringing very different energies to the eccentric ensemble. Dulquer played the determined city cop Arjun, while Rajkummar Rao's Aatmaram and the other colourful personalities helped build the strange and unpredictable ecosystem of Gulaabgunj.

The show's visual identity was just as important as its characters. Raj & DK leaned into the aesthetics of pulp fiction, vintage cinema and comic book storytelling, creating a heightened universe where the colours, framing and performances all felt deliberately larger than life. The anamorphic visuals and retro styling helped make Guns & Gulaabs instantly recognisable.

Even the title carries a playful connection to popular culture. Guns & Gulaabs was inspired by the name of the American rock band Guns N' Roses, giving the series a cheeky musical reference that perfectly matches its combination of violence, romance and irreverent humour.

The anniversary celebration also comes with an added reason for fans to revisit the show. Netflix renewed Guns & Gulaabs for a second season in December 2023, confirming that the story and its unusual collection of characters still have more chaos to deliver.

Three years later, Raj & DK's affection for the project is clearly still strong. Their tribute is as much a thank you to the cast and crew as it is a celebration of the creative freedom that allowed Guns & Gulaabs to become its own wonderfully bizarre thing. And if the first season proved anything, it is that sometimes the strangest worlds are the ones audiences remember longest.