Based on a short story by Mukul Sharma and scripted by the duo of Konkona Sen Sharma (who is also making her directorial debut) and Disha Rindani, 'A Death in the Gunj' opens with the rather uncanny shot of a couple of men staring into a trunk discussing how to proceed with a reeking corpse (which is not shown to the viewer).
The timeline suddenly moves back to a week earlier where an Anglo-Indian couple Nandu (Gulshan Devaiah) and Bonnie (Tillotama Shome) with their daughter Tani (Arya Sharma), their timid cousin Shutu (Vikrant Massey) and their childhood friend Mimi (Kalki Koechlin) visit Nandu's parents'(played by Om Puri and Tanuja) at their house in McCluskieganj, Bihar. They're shortly joined by other friends Vikram (Ranvir Shorey) and Brian (Jim Sarbh).
From the moment the group arrives at the house, it becomes partially clear that the reserved Shutu is the one the senior cousins enjoy tyrannizing. He is the one who is constantly picked on, especially by the intimidating Vikram, who still seems to have a thing for Mimi, even though he's married (to a small-town woman he isn't exactly proud of!). Shutu walks around in his late dad's brown sweater drawing, making notes, admiring frogs and dead insects and enjoys wiling away his time with the youngest member of the house - Tani. It also becomes evident that he has failed his exams despite being designated brilliant in academics.
A spirit summoning scene (maneuvered by Vikram) paints a vivid picture on Shutu's diffidence when it comes to the matter of 'death'. While the rest of them (except Bonnie) seem to be having a ball of a time making a fool out of Shutu, the viewer gets to delve a lot deeper into Shutu's unusually introverted psyche. The man is terrified when he takes driving instructions from his cousin and ends up ramming the back of the car against a pillar.
A game of kabaddi goes out of hand when Vikram (in his overwrought determination to win) literally mauls Shutu, adding further insult to injury. A night of drunkenness (on New Year's eve) leads to Mimi bedding Shutu, which comes across as a temporary relief for him. One is reminded of Asghar Farhadi's 'About Elly' when Tani goes missing. However, the focus here is more on how the family emotionally abuses Shutu (although they fail to realize it) and shoves him around like a mishandled pet.
When Shutu comes to the conclusion that even (his supposed best-friend) Tani has begun to disregard him and Mimi (who is shown to be dominating and promiscuous) has no plans to to treat their fling seriously, it becomes all the more distressing for him. The climax of the film sees Shutu attempting to permanently resolve his ceaseless anguish. This movie is an intricately written character-study masquerading as a psychological thriller. The carefully-cast ensemble deliver confident performances. Vikrant Massey as Shutu exhibits the character's personal insecurities in a convincing manner. 'A Death in the Gunj' fleshes out characters that are usually written off as templates in the typical Bollywood family drama. Even the characters of gatekeeper and maid have well-defined purposes (they are the ones who end up looking after the puppy which is at first, enthusiastically adopted by Tani). The late Om Puri shines in those few scenes he's in.
Verdict: Recommended to the lovers of off-beat cinema!
The timeline suddenly moves back to a week earlier where an Anglo-Indian couple Nandu (Gulshan Devaiah) and Bonnie (Tillotama Shome) with their daughter Tani (Arya Sharma), their timid cousin Shutu (Vikrant Massey) and their childhood friend Mimi (Kalki Koechlin) visit Nandu's parents'(played by Om Puri and Tanuja) at their house in McCluskieganj, Bihar. They're shortly joined by other friends Vikram (Ranvir Shorey) and Brian (Jim Sarbh).
From the moment the group arrives at the house, it becomes partially clear that the reserved Shutu is the one the senior cousins enjoy tyrannizing. He is the one who is constantly picked on, especially by the intimidating Vikram, who still seems to have a thing for Mimi, even though he's married (to a small-town woman he isn't exactly proud of!). Shutu walks around in his late dad's brown sweater drawing, making notes, admiring frogs and dead insects and enjoys wiling away his time with the youngest member of the house - Tani. It also becomes evident that he has failed his exams despite being designated brilliant in academics.
A spirit summoning scene (maneuvered by Vikram) paints a vivid picture on Shutu's diffidence when it comes to the matter of 'death'. While the rest of them (except Bonnie) seem to be having a ball of a time making a fool out of Shutu, the viewer gets to delve a lot deeper into Shutu's unusually introverted psyche. The man is terrified when he takes driving instructions from his cousin and ends up ramming the back of the car against a pillar.
A game of kabaddi goes out of hand when Vikram (in his overwrought determination to win) literally mauls Shutu, adding further insult to injury. A night of drunkenness (on New Year's eve) leads to Mimi bedding Shutu, which comes across as a temporary relief for him. One is reminded of Asghar Farhadi's 'About Elly' when Tani goes missing. However, the focus here is more on how the family emotionally abuses Shutu (although they fail to realize it) and shoves him around like a mishandled pet.
When Shutu comes to the conclusion that even (his supposed best-friend) Tani has begun to disregard him and Mimi (who is shown to be dominating and promiscuous) has no plans to to treat their fling seriously, it becomes all the more distressing for him. The climax of the film sees Shutu attempting to permanently resolve his ceaseless anguish. This movie is an intricately written character-study masquerading as a psychological thriller. The carefully-cast ensemble deliver confident performances. Vikrant Massey as Shutu exhibits the character's personal insecurities in a convincing manner. 'A Death in the Gunj' fleshes out characters that are usually written off as templates in the typical Bollywood family drama. Even the characters of gatekeeper and maid have well-defined purposes (they are the ones who end up looking after the puppy which is at first, enthusiastically adopted by Tani). The late Om Puri shines in those few scenes he's in.
Verdict: Recommended to the lovers of off-beat cinema!