Tuesday Talkies: A Death in the Gunj - Gripping, poignant and tragic

The film marked the directorial debut of actress Konkona Sen Sharma

In our new weekly series, Tuesday Talkies, we recommend critically acclaimed and award-winning Indian films.

In the opening scene of A Death in the Gunj, two men, played by Gulshan Devaiah and Jim Sarbh, open the trunk of their car and look at the corpse that they have to transport to Calcutta. “Maybe if we bend the knees and put the body in the foetal position…”, suggests Sarbh’s character. They do what’s necessary and drive past a morgue. At first glance, the film appears to be a murder mystery or a whodunit of sorts. But actor Konkona Sen Sharma’s directorial debut is a layered film that unfolds at a steady pace, exploring the traits of each of its characters and asking questions pertaining to the darker side of human nature.

The story is set in 1979s McCluskieganj, a small town in present-day Jharkhand. The town was home to about four hundred Anglo-Indian families at one point in time. However, post World War II, most of them migrated to Calcutta. A Death in the Gunj is based on Sen Sharma’s father Mukul Sharma’s short story, which is inspired by true events that took place in McCluskieganj.

After the opening scene, the film flashes back to the previous week and the main characters are introduced. Devaiah plays Nandu who is visiting his parents O.P (Om Puri) and Anupama (Tanuja) Bakshi in McCluskieganj, along with his wife Bonnie (Tillotama Shome), daughter Tani, friend Mimi (Kalki Koechlin), and cousin Shyamal aka Shutu (Vikrant Massey). They are later joined by Nandu’s friends Vikram (Ranvir Shorey) and Brian (Sarbh). All of them primarily speak English, and they spend their days and nights drinking, smoking, playing kabaddi, organising planchette sessions, and dancing to the Bengali song Dhitang Dhitang Bole. And as the narrative progresses, the quirks and mannerisms of the characters are brought to the forefront, but without spilling too many details.

At the centre of the plot is Shutu. He is a shy and innocent 23-year-old man who recently lost his father. He loves poetry and likes to re-read Gulliver's Travels but instead of being a student of literature, he pursues applied mathematics. He has failed his exams but hides it from the family. He spends most of his time with his eight-year-old niece, Tani. In his diary, he has listed down his favourite words that start with the letter “E”, which he proudly shows off to Tani. But he is an outsider within the group of adults. He is the butt of their jokes, pranks, and taunts. He bears all of it silently, until one day when all the pent-up rage and frustration leads to something very tragic and heartbreaking.

Massey is exceptional as the melancholic protagonist, Shutu. Although the film boasts of established actors, including Puri, Tanuja, and Koechlin, it is Massey who manages to evoke strong emotions among the viewers through his nuanced acting. Before A Death in the Gunj he had only appeared in TV serials and smaller roles in films such as Lootera and Dil Dhadakne Do.

Vikram, Brian, and Nandu are the bullies in the film. Through these characters, Sen Sharma highlights toxic masculinity, emotional repression, and male dominance. The arrogant and hot-headed Vikram describes Shutu as a weakling. In fact, a game of kabaddi takes a rough turn when Shutu and Vikram go up against each other, leaving Shutu wounded. Similarly, during a conversation with his wife, Nandu says that Shutu “must toughen up” and “act his age”, while Tanuja’s character dismisses the kabaddi incident saying “boys will be boys”.

Sharma’s screenplay gives importance to the supporting characters as well, without diverging much from the central theme of the film. Most of the supporting actors have grey character arcs. Vikram is newly married but continues his relationship with Mimi with whom he has had an affair in the past. Whereas Mimi yearns for Vikram’s attention, and although she gets close to Shutu at one point, it leads to nowhere. Among the adults, it is only Mrs Bakshi and Bonnie who seem to care for Shutu.

Sen Sharma’s direction is complemented by Sirsha Ray’s superb cinematography and Sagar Desai’s music. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016 before its limited theatrical release in June 2017. Though the film failed at the box office, it was praised for Sen Sharma’s direction and Massey’s performance. In an interview, Sen Sharma said that the film was based on true events that her father told her when she was a kid.

At 107 minutes, A Death in the Gunj is a well-edited movie without a dull moment across its narrative. The film's intriguing story and the characters keep the viewers hooked to the screens till the very end. It’s one of those films that last in one’s mind long after it is over.

Watch A Death in the Gunj here.

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