A Death in the Gunj

'A death in the Gunj' as the name suggests opens with a murder mystery. It could be anybody. We, as a viewers, are intrigued from the word go. Then, we are taken into a flash back and story unfolds from there, a week earlier.

Set in 1978's McCluskieganj, a town which had certainly seen better days probably in British era and it is a home to Anglo Indian families. The movie revolves around Bengali family, who are in for an year end vacation in the town, where they spend their time with parents OP (Om Puri) and Anupama (Tanuja). The movie has its own pace and introduces each character in detail. There is bossy Nandu played by Gulshan Devaiah and his wife Bonnie played by Tillottama Shome. They have daughter Tani (Arya Sharma) and Nandu's brother Shutu (Vikrant Massey). And then there are family friends: hot headed Vikram (Ranvir Shorey), charming and seductive Mimi (Kalki Koechlin) and Brian (Jimmy Sarbh).

We see darker side of this family unfold through Shutu. Shutu is a kind of person who exists in almost every family. Shy, introverted and often ridiculed for not being same as others. He wants to be a part of them but often ends up being a distant spectator. They take him sometimes, but he is hurled with insults, punches, either directly or indirectly. May be that is why, he finds happiness in solitude or in company of his niece Tani. They have their own innocent world. Vikrant Massey is a revelation in this role of Shutu. He brilliantly portrays vulnerabilities and intricacies of Shutu without speaking much. He has played smaller roles before but this is the big break actor dreams for. Hopefully, this is just the beginning for him.

Konkona SenSharma makes impressive debut with this gem of a film. She unravels the sentiment of bullying and gives us a layered film with strong characters. You can't ask for better ensemble then that. 'A death in the Gunj' has everything, a family drama, betrayal, thriller. The movie and Shutu will remain with you for a long time because of its unmistaken simplicity. Arguably, the best Indian film of the year so far.

The ground for a death is set already when the scene opens in a city trembling in peak winters. The tired sun that cannot decide if it wants to rise, the insects already stocking their nests and ready to hibernate, the orchestra of cicadas that blends easily in the suspicious eerie silence of the evenings, the absence of roses and the long purple nights. In such a set-up the only noise that rips the slumber of the forest apart is the loud laughter of a happy family. The perfect family with rotund bellies feasting on meat and wine, slyly rubbing bodies against each other in jest, and like every other family, unable to keep track of the share of love every member is receiving.

It's easy to feel left behind in a world disheveled by adults. Where youth is thought to be coped up with only by a compensatory adrenaline rush, sex is but a form of hospitality, and children and servants are defamed outcasts for just not being alike. Amidst these artificialities, humble "Shuttu" draws dreamy figures in his diary, takes interest in dead moths and the funeral of ants, befriends his six year old niece Tani and vehemently resists metamorphosis. His brother Nandu like most elder siblings, puts him through helpful tests to man him up(driving, planchettes, kabbadi) but Shuttu is already a man with his weak arms but a muscular heart that can carry immeasurable weight. He is the re-incarnate of Franz Kafka, sniffing for traces of love in his dead father's sweaters and his seductive muse's white ankles and the melancholy of his wailing mother. The film brings back to my aching mind a nostalgia of theatrical plays, where the characters were the fodder and story but a resource, rather than the other way around. Nandu's wife, "Bonnie" and mother,"Anupama" are an accurate reflection of the legacy of homemakers; dreamless eyes, unquestioning obeisance, and principled Elizabeth Bennets always in- charge of too much to be done. Vikram(Ranbir Shorey) is the perennially candescent splinter and Mimi(Kalki) is the moth dancing in its flame. O.P(Om Puri's character) has drunk blood-shot eyes and a jovial persona which often confuse his grand-daughter for a tortoise and dismiss the bruises under Shuttu's eyes as child's play. Tani is a young and curious fluttering butterfly who just broke out of her cocoon. Maniya and Manjuri, the domestic helps, are observers of the building up of crime which in this movie, is neither an accident or event, nor a well-hatched conspiracy, but a sudden condensation of reality.

The timeline of growing up is riddled with tough milestones to surpass. The degradation of parent's narrative from "are you facing a problem we don't know about" to " what is the problem with you", bodily changes, the political intrusion of lust and control in relationships and the devaluation of childhood dreams which are too much for a heart which still has not grown anesthetic to pangs of betrayal and dishonesty. As Shuttu tries to brush through these and more, he watches little Tani with wet eyes who would soon be stepping into this war too. A war which is endless and perpetual, called adulthood, where the temporary campsite on the battleground is supposed to be your permanent home. Where defeat is inevitable but the contest is about who can survive longer.

With this debut, Konkana Sensharma blurs the lines between a book and a movie, unveils how modern art is about context rather than content, undresses the guilty faces of families where it is surprisingly easy for someone to not matter at all. By the end, I wished if the movie could be longer and I was given more time to build intimacy with the characters of Mimi or Vikram to know what went into the making of their lustful, unconquerable and ambitious hearts. But alas, a movie could only be a window to another world and not a door, an excerpt of an unending saga which is still happening behind the closed walls of silent homes and secluded hostel rooms, a crime that is taking place without any blood dripping which no one knows about now, no one will figure out the reason behind, but everyone will blame themselves for.

What a debut for Konkona Sen Sharma!!! A death in a gunj is a kind of movie that all along has your attention. Apart from the star cast that includes the likes of Ranvir Shorey, Om Puri, Tanuja & Kalki, the movie also has a unique screenplay.It's a kind of thriller which also has emotional side to it. The background score sync completely to the genre. Surely a must watch...

This is a little gem of a movie, with pitch perfect casting, excellent pacing and very competent direction.

The movie takes you to a world of languid indolence as an extended family vacations at a once grand but now somewhat derelict Anglo-Indian hamlet. There are little stories within, mostly pivoting around Kalki as the coquette - glimpses of illicit lust; and unrequited longing.

But in the middle of this happy dysfunction, there are jarring moments that tighten the little knot of dread-filled anticipation at the bottom of your heart. The title promised you a death and the opening scene reinforced that promise. You don't know who and you don't know why, you only know it's coming.

A Death in Gunj marks the directorial debut of Actress KonKona Sen Sharma. A film from what we call a parallel cinema. As a director Sharma has done her job brilliantly as the storytelling is the strongest aspect of the movie and reason you should watch this drama. Background score and cinematography also contributes positively towards building up the story. Actor Vikrant Massey has played the role of Shuttu with great conviction. The only disappointing moment in this movie was its climax as you anticipate much more after a strong built-up but movie settles for less.