'A Death in the Gunj' is the story of a reclusive man thrown into depths of depression, misfortune and bullying. A bunch of elitist, upper class Bengalis vacationing in their country house in Mccluskieganj decides to pull an untoward prank against their cousin (Shutu, played by Vikrant Massey), who also happens to be the target of their incessant bullying and snide remarks. They set up a planchette, where they joke about a ghostly prophecy of Shutu's impending death. Life follows as usual, adding insult to Shutu's injuries, till he decides to kill himself in a very dramatic climax.
Konkona Sen Sharma's directorial debut oozes with the stylization, character development and overall ambiance of a Aparna Sen movie. It is hard not to notice that she channelized her mother's soul. Not sure if that was intentional or not. The movie is based on a real incident, described by her father, Mukul Sharma, in a short story of the same name. Chris Tripthorpe, Sharma's friend, killed himself after being similarly pranked, although under quite different circumstances. Drawing upon this macabre fiasco, the story of this movie takes some mature artistic liberty to explore and highlight different tones of social and cultural idiosyncrasies. It is a commendable effort, no doubt, to deal with such complex themes. However, patriarchy and the sinister power play of a deeply classist society stands out as the central element. This is supported, in parts, by depression, sexism, sexual oppression, feudalism and caste-ism, although the last two are rather transient.
That being said, the movie has its own flaws. Overuse of English as the language of communication seems painfully forced at times (one of the reason why I draw the Aparna Sen comparison, the use of English is oddly reminiscent of Mr. and Mrs. Iyer). An odd song and dance sequence has been squeezed in which, despite not being very far fetched, seems a bit synthetic about the interaction between the leading characters and the native dancers. One can't help but wonder how Shutu's misfortune seems to be endless. As if fate has been conspiring against him. Surprisingly, the depiction of the servants/domestic-help has been quite naive. It borders on poverty porn. It neither explains nor symbolizes the back story of their characters representing the poorer section of the society. And the final climax is quite over the top, straight out of a Bollywood masala movie.
Acting performances carve the foremost objet d'art of the movie. Vikrant Massey is a revelation. Having never seen any of his movies before, his extremely skilled acting looks quite enigmatic. He gets into the skin of Shutu and saves him from whatever little follies the script writer might have overlooked. Even in the parts where the plot is tacky, Massey rescues it. Gulshan Devaiah delivers a nuanced performance, much subtle than what he did in Hunterrr. Om Puri is beyond criticism. Everybody else blends in perfectly. Everybody, except Kalki Koechlin. For some reason, she seems oddly stiff and not herself in the entire movie.
All sides considered, 'A Death in the Gunj' is a reasonably well made movie. Not the best, but definitely one of the better movies of 2017. Definitely worth a watch.
Konkona Sen Sharma's directorial debut oozes with the stylization, character development and overall ambiance of a Aparna Sen movie. It is hard not to notice that she channelized her mother's soul. Not sure if that was intentional or not. The movie is based on a real incident, described by her father, Mukul Sharma, in a short story of the same name. Chris Tripthorpe, Sharma's friend, killed himself after being similarly pranked, although under quite different circumstances. Drawing upon this macabre fiasco, the story of this movie takes some mature artistic liberty to explore and highlight different tones of social and cultural idiosyncrasies. It is a commendable effort, no doubt, to deal with such complex themes. However, patriarchy and the sinister power play of a deeply classist society stands out as the central element. This is supported, in parts, by depression, sexism, sexual oppression, feudalism and caste-ism, although the last two are rather transient.
That being said, the movie has its own flaws. Overuse of English as the language of communication seems painfully forced at times (one of the reason why I draw the Aparna Sen comparison, the use of English is oddly reminiscent of Mr. and Mrs. Iyer). An odd song and dance sequence has been squeezed in which, despite not being very far fetched, seems a bit synthetic about the interaction between the leading characters and the native dancers. One can't help but wonder how Shutu's misfortune seems to be endless. As if fate has been conspiring against him. Surprisingly, the depiction of the servants/domestic-help has been quite naive. It borders on poverty porn. It neither explains nor symbolizes the back story of their characters representing the poorer section of the society. And the final climax is quite over the top, straight out of a Bollywood masala movie.
Acting performances carve the foremost objet d'art of the movie. Vikrant Massey is a revelation. Having never seen any of his movies before, his extremely skilled acting looks quite enigmatic. He gets into the skin of Shutu and saves him from whatever little follies the script writer might have overlooked. Even in the parts where the plot is tacky, Massey rescues it. Gulshan Devaiah delivers a nuanced performance, much subtle than what he did in Hunterrr. Om Puri is beyond criticism. Everybody else blends in perfectly. Everybody, except Kalki Koechlin. For some reason, she seems oddly stiff and not herself in the entire movie.
All sides considered, 'A Death in the Gunj' is a reasonably well made movie. Not the best, but definitely one of the better movies of 2017. Definitely worth a watch.