‘A Death In The Gunj’ movie review: A mystery meshed well with tranquility and emotions

Directed By: Konkona Sensharma
Produced By: Ashish Bhatnagar, Vijay Kumar Swami, Raagii Bhatnagar, Honey Trehan, Abhishek Chaubey
Cast: Vikrant Massey, Ranvir Shorey, Kalki Koechlin, Jim Sarbh, Gulshan Devaiah, Om Puri, Tanuja
Duration: 1 hours 52 minutes
Bollywood Bubble Rating: 3.5/5

When you hear the title ‘A Death In The Gunj‘, what does it evoke in your already anxious mind? A mystery laden with someone’s gruesome death where you easily pinpoint fingers on the most vicious character you foresee. Or maybe expect the monotonous and usual suspense saga? Well, when I entered the theatre, I expected something similar, but was taken aback by the sheer brilliance of an actress-turned-director Konkona Sensharma’s craft to foretell an unexpected tale in her very first directorial debut. As she puts it in the beginning credits, this story is a retelling of her father Mukul Sharma’s experiences, depicted in a fictional setup.

The story is based in the era of 1979, in a town called McCluskiegunj, in Jharkhand. In the Christmas of 1979, a family and their friends plan a family reunion of sorts in a house and call it Gunj. The house has flavours of a metro city, a somewhat lavish lifestyle, but not exactly ultra-modern. OP Bakshi (Om Puri) and his wife Anupama (Tanuja) meet their son Nandu (Gulshan Devaiah), his wife Bonnie (Tillotama Shome), their daughter Tani (Arya Sharmav) and their reticent and reserved cousin Shutu (Vikrant Massey), during Christmas holidays. They are joined by Nandu’s friends, Vikram (Ranvir Shorey) and Brian (Jim Sarbh), and Bonnie’s friend Mimi (Kalki Koechlin). As they all decide to enjoy a fun-filled vacation, their happy family is not exactly how you would assume it to be. The odd one out in all is Shutu, a gloomy soul troubled by certain events in his life, who is shy enough evoke any communication with his immediate family. This nature of his makes him the target of the bully, alpha male and aggressive Vikram. Not only that, Vikram is also someone who shamelessly thrives on infidelity as he engages in a fling with the attractive Mimi.

While every character has a distinct personality, be it OP Bakshi’s penchant for hunting, or Vikram’s dominance over everything, or even Mimi’s addiction to her drink, what draws us the most is the character of Shutu. Nobody but only Vikrant Massey could have pulled off this role with utmost conviction. He is an actor par excellence and he proves it yet again. Other actors like Ranvir Shorey, Gulshan Devaiah, and Tillotama Shome are equally good, while late actor Om Puri and veteran actress Tanuja make for an endearing pair.

Konkona’s directorial skills and cinematography by Sirsha Ray hold ‘A Death In The Gunj‘ very well. The movie sets the perfect tone as we see a Bengali family converse in English and Bangla with extreme fluidity. We also see tones of the long-forgotten era of 1979 where guns stuck on the walls made for good art, while the old telephones made for amusing conversations. The movie is not what you duly expect it to be, because it’s treated like a thriller where silence speaks more than words would ever do. But, if you are expecting something extravagant, and are a lover of hardcore mystery in storytelling, then the movie may not serve you as brilliantly as you would expect it to be as it relies majorly on the fantastic line-up of performances, and the amazing treatment of the story and characters. It’s not the usual dramatic storytelling.

‘A Death In The Gunj‘ is a dish served well enough to bind you till the end, and is indeed worth a watch. If only, you are not the ones to appreciate art in its silent and subtle form, then this one would not appeal as much to you. So, give it a go, if you are a keen lover of artsy cinema. Konkona’s directorial debut is a perfect mesh of mystery, tranquility, and emotions.

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