A Death In The Gunj: It’s all relative
A Death In The Gunj Director: Konkona Sensharma Actors: Vikrant Massey, Ranveer Shorey, Kalki Koechlin
Konkona Sensharma’s directorial debut, A Death In The Gunj, is set in McCluskieganj, a town nearly 60 kilometres from Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi.
It was home to hundreds of Anglo-Indian families, whose mixed culture was often referred as ‘chutney’ as they borrowed traditions from different com- munities. The majority of them later migrated to nearby cities, especially Kolkata, and then abroad.
The town isn’t a patch on its earlier self, but this story begins in 1979, when all wasn’t lost.
Some fine English-speaking members of a family arrive from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to spend quality time with Mr and Mrs Bakshi (Om Puri and Tanuja). Nandu (Gulshan Devaih) and Vikram (Ranvir Shorey) are joined by Bonnie (Tillotama Shome), Mimi (Kalki Koechlin), Brian (Jim Sarbh) and Tani (Arya Sharma). Some of them occasionally switch to Bengali.
It makes for an odd group, with easily identifiable traits. If Vikram’s infidelity is obvious, Nandu’s overarching patriarchy isn’t hard to detect either.
Bonnie appears to be the most grounded and finds it hard to deal with Mimi who doesn’t believe in hiding heartbreak. Mimi is like a defiant teen stuck in a time warp. Aloof and sarcastic, her genuineness binds the motley band together.
The story is centred around 23-year-old student Shutu (Vikrant Massey), Nandu’s cousin, who’s struggling on many fronts. From sexuality to depressive behaviour, he has many battles to conquer and is a soft target for family bullies.
But A Death In the Gunj isn’t about just one theme or a person. Different tracks lead to different meanings and they might not have a common resolution.
The colonial hangover is reflected through crumbling buildings and a gun nailed to the wall. The Bakshi family and their friends love their drink. Think of them as a refined version of rural landlords.
The women of the family behave and talk like today’s women — confident, vocal and ready to resist male domination. Men want to display their masculinity — be it a kabaddi match or a hunting game.
The one emotion that comes out of this weird gathering is the sense of loneliness, the feeling of not being desired, the pain of not being loved back. It’s a recurring theme in the 104-minute film.
Director Konkona Sen Sharma aims to create a look of ‘just another day in a sleepy town’, but treats the film like a thriller. Characters cross and hurt each other. They swiftly resort to physical and verbal violence. Shutu emerges as the one to sympathise with it all. His silence makes the atmosphere hauntingly eerie. The film stands on the skills of its stellar cast. Vikrant Massey stands out among the talented actors. His is the face you’ll recall from this film many years later.
Sirsha Ray’s camera work helps set a gloomy, mysterious, dark, but no sinister, mood. The locations and background scores do the rest. Konkona Sen Sharma’s film is a successful experiment despite loopholes. And it is brave.