Ever since the success of the Telugu series 90s: A Middle Class Biopic, ETV Win has consistently banked on nostalgia as a selling point for their shows. They offer a throwback to simpler times, raising a toast to friendships while viewing life through a soft, rose-tinted lens. While their latest show Gurtukosthunnayiticks all such boxes, the premise provides a valid excuse to go back in time and relive the formative years of the protagonist.
Santhosh (Viraj Ashwin) is all set to marry his childhood sweetheart Vaishali (Yashashree Rao), the daughter of his former school principal Raghunath (Priyadarshini Ram). Before they tie the knot, Santhosh reunites with his three best friends, who plan a bachelor trip to Goa. En route to their destination, a freak accident triggers a partial memory loss in Santhosh, who has no clue about his past.
Gurtukosthunnayifeels liberally inspired by Vijay Sethupathi’s Tamil hit Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom(2012), where the protagonist, just before his marriage, experiences partial memory loss owing to a cricket accident and the friends bail him out of trouble. While the basic idea behind both the confusion comedies is similar, Gurtukosthunnayi’sscreenplay uses flashbacks as a device to rekindle his memories.
Despite the familiar reference points, Gurtukosthunnayihas its heart in the right place. The childhood episodes provide a decent foundation to the friendship of the four men, while they recollect their sweet little-nothings of school days. All that you expect from a boy’s teenage years finds its way into the show: mischief in school, crushes, summer holidays, and carefree days with grandparents, to name a few.
Gurtukosthunnayi (Telugu web series)
Director: Winod Gali
Cast: Viraj Ashwin, Yashashree Rao
Episodes: 7
Storyline: When a soon-to-be-married youngster experiences partial memory loss after a freak accident, his friends pull out all stops to help him.
Vaishali’s father, Raghunath, is the soft antagonist for the show. He does not have a high opinion of Santhosh, having known him since childhood. While on one end, the show is about the friends doing everything to protect Santhosh from embarrassment, it also delves into the tense equation between him and his future father-in-law.
It is not that Santhosh’s friends have no identity. Their frustrations about having to go through the same routine of reminding him of his past again are acknowledged. At one point, Santhosh even overstuffs a patient with multiple tablets at a hospital. He forgets his niece at a showroom and puts his grandmother’s health at risk, while forgetting about her inhaler.
One feels for Santhosh’s plight, who has no clue of his condition and yet deals with the world around him with optimism. Yes, the writing is functional, constantly putting Santhosh in a tricky spot in various locations and situations, but the screenplay still does not feel mechanical. The interpersonal relationships among characters, friends and family, get ample screen-time and form the backbone of the show.
The finale is quite straightforward, ensuring a happy ending with no major slip-ups. Despite adhering to the standard Telugu film formula, where the hero gets a long monologue in the end where people change, and problems are conveniently resolved, the conviction in the staging and the performances help it romp home. The emotional heft is just enough to lend it some depth.
Director Winod Gali, who previously helmed Sashimadhanamfor the same platform, succeeds in telling another light, relatable story (even if not exactly original) with some purpose. However, it would help the platform to look at such stories with stronger female characters than treating them as extensions to the men’s lives and go beyond the rosy portraits of boyhood in middle-class settings.
In Viraj Ashwin, the show finds a formidable face to portray Santhosh’s confusions and vulnerabilities from a place of empathy. Within the limitations of her part, his female counterpart Yashashree Rao is impressive and has a likeable, easy-going persona. The on-screen friends, played by Pavan Sidhu, Godavari Gopi and Viva Raghav, do the needful.
There is enough strength in the supporting cast, from Sivannarayana to Rohini Hattangadi, Anish Kuruvilla, Subhalekha Sudhakar and Goparaju Ramana, even if their full potential does not come to the fore. Priyadarshini Ram’s stately presence makes him an ideal fit as an intimidating father-in-law. Ajay Arasada’s music passes muster, and the cinematographer Rehan Shaik gets his basics right, ensuring a peppy visual exterior.
Gurtukosthunnayiis a compact show made with modest aims and delivers what it sets out to do, and for that alone, it is a win. Do not expect it to leave a lasting impression, but you are guaranteed to have a good time while it lasts.
(The series streams on ETV Win)
Published – July 04, 2026 12:17 pm IST
