‘Greater Kalesh’ (2025) Netflix Movie Review - The Family that Gossips Together Stays Together

At 51 minutes, Aditya Chandiok's Greater Kalesh is a short, crisp, family-friendly film with a good message. Written by Ritu Mago, it comes with the slogan, "Ghar toh ghar hota hai," tattooed on its chest. Your family could be in deep trouble, but for you — the child who visits once or twice a year during festivals — they'll put on a happy face so as not to distress you. This is what the Handa family does when the daughter, Twinkle (Ahsaas Channa), returns for Diwali from Bangalore. Twinkle is the kind of girl who arrives in Delhi and opens the window of the car to enjoy... the Diwali smell? When I visited Delhi last year, the air there gave me temporary chest pains. I don't know what pleasure Twinkle manages to derive from the AQI of the Diwali season. Is this Greater Kalesh's way of suggesting that Twinkle revels in toxic elements? Who am I kidding? Chandiok and Mago have not made either a layered, subtle film or one that has anything to do with the environment. Their targets are gossip aunties and judgmental neighbors. I mean, Greater Kalesh says that people should mind their own business, but it also tries to generate an atmosphere of warmth and affection from two scenes that involve the Handa family happily gossiping about their neighbors. So...you can be judgmental as long as you are the camera's center of attention?

If we apply this logic to the real world, we can say that everybody views themselves as the center of their own universe. Each person is the hero of their own story, right? In that sense, would it be acceptable to conclude that you, your neighbors, and even strangers are right if they tend to be hypercritical or gossipmongers? Sunita (Supriya Shukla), Twinkle's mother, regretfully mentions that this Diwali, their family will be the subject of juicy bavardage. You assume the line suggests that the Handa family — or at least Sunita — will finally get a taste of their own medicine, which might help them grow as individuals. But the movie, alas, ends with yet another round of Handa-family scuttlebutt. It seems as if Chandiok and Mago are oblivious to the implications of their material. I suppose this is what you can expect from a movie in which major issues—like house ownership and the fear of coming out to your not-so-progressive Indian parents—are handled and resolved as if they were child's play, as if they were trivial matters. This, um, casualness underscores Greater Kalesh's ambitions: it wants to be a family-friendly public service announcement. It's okay if your son is gay, it's okay if your dad made a poor decision, and it's okay if your family isn't picture-perfect. As long as you are together, you will be fine and can become each other's strength. How cute! Twinkle may claim to want only a spoonful of sugar, but the filmmakers pour in an entire bottle.

Final Score- [2.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times