DEATH IN THE GUNJ -- a review

A Death in the Gunj – a review
By – Dola Dutta Roy

With an Agatha Christie-like title, ‘A Death in the Gunj’ seems almost like a period drama cast in a shade that reeks of gloom and suspense. Set in a far flung county hovering between Bengal and Bihar, the movie begins with the disposing of a decomposing body by some young men in the winding roads of the jungles in Bihar. From there the camera moves back a few days to capture the events that led to the mystery of the dead body. 

Those who have been through the 70s and 80s could get a glimpse of an era of bonhomie with a bunch of boisterous young men with long hair sporting sideburns wearing bell-bottoms, and women, zany and quite ‘bindaz’. They are driving down to McCluskiegunj to spend a few days with an old couple, O.P. (Om Puri) and Anupama (Tanuja) to bring in the New Year. McCluskiegunj is an idyllic spot, a place where time stands still and life begins only after dark to the beat of tribal drums and foot-tappings of dancing belles. It’s a place where one can easily lose one’s sanity sipping the magic potion of ‘mahua’. 

In this group of city-bred and somewhat westernized young men and women like Vikram (Ranvir Shorey), Nandu (Gulshan Devaiah) his wife Bonnie (Tilottama Shome), Brian (Jim Sarb) and Mimi ( Kalki Koechlin) -- Shutu or Shyamal (Vikrant Massey) is the odd one out. A country cousin, in awe of the loud and sometimes wild young bunch, Shutu is lost and bewildered. He takes the brunt of all the bullying meted out to him with silent dignity. The only time he livens up a bit is when Mimi, the beautiful half Indian - half foreign girl, moves from the brash and bold, already married Vikram she is besotted with, to Shutu. He finds comfort in the attention she pays to him as he is still recovering from the death of his father not too long ago and often wakes up crying in the middle of the night, utterly disturbed.

Never for a moment does one get the impression that this is the first film by Konkona Sen Sharma as she never fails to loosen her grip on the storytelling as a superb craftsman. The pace of the movie is brilliantly fast and tight, never faltering. At every moment the story moves to create a thrill that keeps you wondering ‘what next!’ 

Each one of the characters is etched out with its complexities very adroitly and portrayed by the actors impeccably. Om Puri and Tanuja too, as the aunt and uncle the young band comes to visit, seem so close to home with their bickering habits in their old age. However, Vikrant Massey’s portrayal of Shutu with his frightened, tearful and sensitive eyes that can even spit venom when need be to express disgust, is simply brilliant. That was a real surprise. 

Photography of crisp wintry mornings with falling leaves and hazy trees in the distance is a picture of tranquility that fills you with an aching sense of romance.The crazy game of séance to romping around the house with ‘dhitang dhitang bole’ echoes the rollicking times many of us spend on holidays to while away time. And yet there is a sense of foreboding and suspense; a menacing threat to life somewhere lurking in the dark shadows of the old house.

The dialogue is racy and snappy and is mostly in English with bits of Bengali thrown in here and there. However, there are no jerking notes of music to jolt you out of your composure. The meandering tale takes abrupt turns here and there and climaxes to a crescendo from where there is no return.
If you haven’t already seen the movie, try not to miss it. I am sure, like me, you too might wait for another interesting piece of work from Ms Sen Sharma’s stable.

Copyright © Dola Dutta Roy
June 2017