In the category of Hindi comedy dramas in the last few years, especially after the resurgence of the OTT space, there have been many shows and movies that focus on small-town India. There are many stories to cover and represent to the audience about how small towns from across the country function, and about the kind of people one gets to meet there. There are human relationships that are explored to convey how they function daily with people around them. Life Hill Gayi is one such series that talks about a pair of siblings and the relationship dynamics they share with other family members.
Spoilers Ahead
Why were Dev and Kalki in Panchmouli?
The six episodic show began with Dev and Kalki, a pair of very rich kids from the city arriving at their hometown Panchmouli with their father Himalaya. All three of them were in their hometown on the orders of the family patriarch, Prithvi. Prithvi was Himalaya’s father, and a doting aging grandfather to Dev and Kalki, who had invited them over to his dilapidated hotel and given them the task of refurbishing the property they were standing at. Prithvi wanted to get the property running to restore the legacy and the glory of ‘Good Morning WoodVilla’ like in the olden days. There was no mention of where Prithvi was at that moment as he was contacting them through video calls.However, to make the task more interesting, Prithvi offered to award the siblings medals based on the completion of any task that would benefit the hotel in the long term. The siblings were not at all keen on the task assigned to them, but Prithvi upped the ante by offering the hotel and his other wealth to either of them based on who gathered more medals by the end of a six-month deadline.
Were the siblings able to refurbish the hotel?
As Dev was given the task of refurbishing and maintaining the place, Kalki was asked to take over administration and hospitality to make sure the guests were happy. The renovation was done quickly and the hotel ‘Good Morning WoodVilla’ was up and running in no time, and everything was going smoothly as per the deadline given to them by Prithvi. The siblings got into the task right from the start, and from the moment their grandfather had kickstarted this competition, there was no warmth shared between Dev and Kalki, and nor did they have a good relationship with their father
Who was winning the medals and why?
The first medal was won by Dev, as he was unexpectedly responsible for the death of a serial killer. The serial killer, according to the local police, was known for killing people by hitting his victims with a spoon. The siblings initially gave him a room on the first day after believing the lies he concocted about his real identity. The serial killer died accidentally tripping on a damaged wooden plank, and the spoon was jammed into his eyes as a result. The police did not arrest anyone, but rewarded Dev for capturing the criminal. Kalki won the next three medals —the first time for tackling a nagging guest situation. A bunch of college-goers wreaked havoc in the hotel, and no one from the staff, including her father, was adhering to her orders.
Kalki had to put her foot down eventually and show her power. She asked the young boys to leave the hotel rather aggressively, which garnered her applause and a medal from Prithvi. Kalki was having a hard time connecting with the hotel receptionist, cook, and security. There was a class divide between them and Kalki, which the latter refused to acknowledge. It was only in time they began to understand each other. To show how much they meant to her, she offered them several meaningful gifts that earned her another medal. There was a rumor that began to spread about the hotel being haunted, which attracted the attention of many tourists, including travel vloggers and ghost hunters. The ghost hunters were in town to ask questions about the potential existence of such a supernatural entity. Kalki took advantage of this rumor and monetized the situation. It soon fell flat, and she reversed the situation again, helping her get another medal. She was topping the medal chart, and Dev was not liking it one bit.
Were Dev and Hima falling in love?
Dev and Kalki were busy with the running of the hotel when he ran into Hima, a local businesswoman who used to sell organic fruits. They started on a bitter note as Dev was condescending towards her for her helpful nature on his way up to the hotel on the first day. They soon warm up to each other, and Dev gets to see she is an independent, smart, charming woman. Dev and Hima had begun spending a lot of time together and discussed the kind of relationships they had experienced all this while. They were initially friends, but soon Dev began to develop feelings for her and went out of his way to help Hima with her business. Kalki had noticed their chemistry, and she warned Hima about his past girlfriends and attitude towards them. Hima was not taken aback, and resorted to asking questions about his past just to clear the air.
Why did Dev’s ex-girlfriend show up at the hotel?
Just when Dev and Hima were getting closer, his ex-girlfriend Shreya landed at the hotel. There was no clarity on who invited her, but this was bad news for Dev as he was keen on taking things forward romantically with Hima. Hima was also puzzled as she began to wonder if Kalki was right about him. However, she had no boundaries and began to get cozier with Dev, even though he was vocal about his discomfort with her hanging around. Dev and Kalki were busy with a wedding as the hotel was hosting the groom and the bride’s families, while Shreya was keen on having a fling. However, the Shreya situation was handled well when she was seen wearing a piece of jewelry that was meant to be for the bride. Shreya was accused of stealing it and she was not even apologetic for her behavior. She was kicked out, and with her gone, things between Hima and Dev got serious.
Was Himalaya falling in love?
Himalaya was feeling useless all this while as his father trusted Dev and Kalki, the grandchildren, more than his own son. The man was in the hope of making things right and becoming a resourceful person. While he was on that path, he was introduced to the mother of the groom, a beautiful woman named Smriti. Himalaya and Smriti got along well, and he was mesmerized by her nature. He had decided to settle down and Smriti probably was someone he could see a future with. He did not act on his feelings, and chose to let her go as the wedding party left Panchmouli town after the wedding. Himalaya was indeed in love, and as a mature elderly adult, he chose to let her go instead of clinging onto her, something he would have done if he had been young.
What was Kalki’s plan for the hotel?
Prithvi made the competition interesting by putting two medals up for grabs, on the condition that the siblings come up with a better plan to sustain the hotel for a long time. Kalki came up with the plan of installing solar panels all around the property, which would save them a lot of money in the long run. Dev came up with the plan of expanding the hotel by adding a lot of adventure activities as facilities for the benefit of the tourists who come to the mountains. Dev, however, did not have the money to turn his plan into a reality. He was, however, excited to be offering the property and its surrounding farmland for a film shoot.
What happened during the film shoot at the hotel?
As Dev oversaw the crew at the hotel, he was also acting like a mediator between the local sarpanch and the director, as he was convincing both to be accommodating of the place they were shooting at. Things went out of control as the locals became unruly, and at the same time, the director did not keep to his word that he wouldn’t destroy the farmland. The director and producer of the movie violated the terms discussed and went ahead and destroyed the farmland, which angered the local Sarpanch and Hima as well.
Why was Dev confused?
Dev was under a lot of pressure personally and professionally. Professionally, he had to hand over the hotel in a better state and hope his grandfather would be happy with his plan. He wanted the ownership of the same for monetary reasons, and so he could move back to New York for better career prospects. However, this move would affect his relationship with Hima, who was assertive about the fact that she loves to live and earn in her town and help the locals while at it. She was happy with the current state of her business, as it was responsible for employing many locals.
Hima was in the right, because she had spent all her life in her town and had grown up with the plan to uplift others in the town with the help of her business. She could not uproot all of that and endanger the lives of people who were dependent on her for many things. If she grows as a businesswoman, it will automatically help the people who worked with her. Hima was not keen on moving to New York with him. She made it clear and ever since Dev was in a peculiar position as well. Even though Hima and Dev received the blessings of the elderly in town, she was skeptical about the move.
Who won the grandfather’s property, Dev or Kalki?
As none of their long-term plans were working, Dev and Kalki eventually came back to their father. It took a while for the children and the father to come to good terms with each other, but the renovation of the hotel along with Himalaya reliving his childhood in this town was a cathartic experience. This brought them closer as a family as they began to discuss the relationship dynamics.
As Himalaya, Dev, and Kali were reminiscing about their days as a family, the children admitted to not having any qualms anymore. This statement made by the children was confusing, as the siblings up until a while back did not need their father. They did not respect nor trust him with anything. There was no reason for this sudden turn around, with them all being happy together as a family. Even though Himalaya went through an arc of self-discovery, none of the scenes established a bond between him and his children that would give credence to the statement made by Dev and Kalki. Since the issues between the father and children were resolved, both were keen on being declared winners as a team instead of seeking individual glory. They believed both had put in a lot of hard work to get the hotel up and running successfully, and they deserved an equal share of the property. This change of heart was also sudden because the siblings had been trying to upstage each other only a while back with their plans for the long-term running of the property. It did not make sense how Dev and Kalki wound up on the same team after bickering throughout the process. The only answer could be they found a way to accept each other and understand both had strengths and weaknesses. They would run the place by using those qualities.
The grandfather was happy to have achieved his goal, which was to watch his family work as a team. It looks like this was the old man’s plan. Even though he had to manipulate and arm-twist them, it helped him reach his goal. As he got Dev and Kalki to sign the documents of ownership transfer, Prithvi finally revealed the hotel business was in debt worth INR 600 crore. This shocked the kids as they learned Prithvi was indeed a selfish man who was now a pauper just like his son and grandchildren. He may have lavishly spent all the profit on himself. He fooled his family into getting involved in this mess by emotionally blackmailing them and luring them with greed for money, which, as they learned, never existed in the first place.
Dev and Kalki’s hands were tied as they would have to stay back in town to make the hotel a glorious success as the pressure of clearing the debt was on them. They were more worried than angry, as they had jumped into this independently without making any background checks on why their grandfather was doing this. The siblings would have to find a way to repay the debt and work on the hotel. They do not plan to run away from the problem like their grandfather had done, and this time they are hoping to have their father by their side.
Life Hill Gayi ended with Kalki having a conversation with her daughter on the phone. This indicates she was a single mother and planned to reunite with her child as soon as possible. This was followed by a visit by Dev and Kalki’s mother from South Africa. It was established she was playing favorites by choosing to converse with Dev over Kalki. It was also revealed she was sent by their grandfather Prithvi to help her children get out of the financial mess. Their mother, who had a huge role in their life, had had a nasty divorce from their father. This sets up the second season as we can witness how the siblings maneuver between their bitter parents and clear the debt.
