Konkona Sen Sharma’s debut
feature film is a sensitive portrayal of ‘difference’ in a heady family drama
which mutates into a thriller
After
touring the world for about a year, Konkana Sen Sharma’s debut feature, A Death in the Gunj is all set to release
in Indian theatres on 2 June 2017. After having proved her mettle as a superlative
actor of infinite potential, Sen Sharma perhaps could not have a better start
as a visionary behind the camera, who brings to her first feature film an
extremely profound and nuanced understanding of human relationships and psyche.
The film’s scrupulous attention to details, its retro-texture befitting the
period in which the story is set (1978-1979), the costumes, the body language
of the actors – everything testifies to a deep engagement on part of the filmmaker
with the cinematic text, faithfully supported by the cinematographic excellence
of Shirsho Roy in every frame.
In
a very long time, Indian Cinema has not been able to scare its audience
meaningfully, no matter how hard several filmmakers tried by deploying
ridiculous graphics of ghosts, gore and gruesomeness; the fear, in most of
these cases, was so damningly concretised that the thrill of getting scared was
lost in the mayhem of ludicrous supernatural happenings or in the mediocre use
of cinematic (or VFX) devices. Sen Sharma does complete justice to the genre
she chooses (a family drama that mutates into a tragic thriller), by creating
the right kind of atmosphere and psychologically disconcerting situations,
which when reflected upon, augment the scare manifold, long after the film is
over.
Set within the familiarity of the tropes of a family holiday film, A Death in the Gunj (which might suddenly remind an alert viewer of Renoir’s A Day in the Country) gradually moves into extremely uncomfortable zones of human relationships, passions and loneliness, unravelling the darker shades of human nature, which when once revealed instigate the greatest fears that are difficult to assuage. While watching the film, it is difficult not to recall Aparna Sen’s short film Picnic made for the Doordarshan in the 1980s, in which Konkona had a significant role. However, Picnic was not a thriller, but a very disquieting tale of human relationships with insinuations of adultery, envy and possessiveness. Perhaps, Sen Sharma has consciously or unconsciously drawn upon a creative legacy by adapting her father’s story (Mukul Sharma) and alluding to her mother’s vision as a filmmaker, while dedicating the film to Vishal Bharadwaj, one of the greatest cinematic talents in contemporary India.
Set within the familiarity of the tropes of a family holiday film, A Death in the Gunj (which might suddenly remind an alert viewer of Renoir’s A Day in the Country) gradually moves into extremely uncomfortable zones of human relationships, passions and loneliness, unravelling the darker shades of human nature, which when once revealed instigate the greatest fears that are difficult to assuage. While watching the film, it is difficult not to recall Aparna Sen’s short film Picnic made for the Doordarshan in the 1980s, in which Konkona had a significant role. However, Picnic was not a thriller, but a very disquieting tale of human relationships with insinuations of adultery, envy and possessiveness. Perhaps, Sen Sharma has consciously or unconsciously drawn upon a creative legacy by adapting her father’s story (Mukul Sharma) and alluding to her mother’s vision as a filmmaker, while dedicating the film to Vishal Bharadwaj, one of the greatest cinematic talents in contemporary India.
The Death in the Gunj impresses by its layered exploration of
its protagonist’s (Shuttu aka Shyamal Chatterjee, essayed by the inimitable Vikrant
Massey) coming of age and his gradual awakening into a hostile world where he
does not seem to belong. Shuttu’s love for nature, literature, quiet moments –
his overall introversion – set him apart from the hyper-males of the family,
who bully him, humiliate him, and drive him to a breaking point, when he
crosses his limit of endurance. Suttu, in all his sensitivity and emotional
vulnerability, ends up being the quintessential other in the family, which
barely understands him, except perhaps Tani (Arya Sharma), his young niece.
“You are so pretty that you could have been a girl”, Mimi’s (Kalki Koelchin)
compliment to Suttu, establishes a sexual ambiguity which significantly
espouses his marginality vis-à-vis the other male members of the family. This
ambiguity is, however, mitigated to a certain extent as he gradually gets
erotically drawn to a sexually adventurous Mimi, but, the discomfort remains.
At the same time, Mimi’s sexually liberal nature, her nonchalance to moral
codes and her gregariousness also opens up grey zones of female sexuality,
which are very seldom explored in Indian cinema and that too,
without passing moral judgement. Most importantly, the film brings back a decade, the late
1970s, in a way Bollywood has barely remembered it, and raises very pertinent
questions about conventional codes of masculinity, which are rarely dismantled
in mainstream cinema.
Supported by a extraordinarily talented ensemble cast comprising veterans such as Tanuja and Om Puri and extremely promising present day actors such as Gulshan Devaiah and Tillottoma Shome, apart from Ranbir Shorey, Jim Sarbh, Kalki and the endearing Vikrant, A Death in the Gunj does not need stars to shine in cinema halls. Its strength is its script, its powerhouse of acting talents, and the effortless eeriness it creates. And, Sagar Desai’s music is a definite plus. In a long time, the film has revived memories of the New Wave Indian cinema which are gradually fading out in the overwhelming glamour and glitz of formula-driven potboilers.
Supported by a extraordinarily talented ensemble cast comprising veterans such as Tanuja and Om Puri and extremely promising present day actors such as Gulshan Devaiah and Tillottoma Shome, apart from Ranbir Shorey, Jim Sarbh, Kalki and the endearing Vikrant, A Death in the Gunj does not need stars to shine in cinema halls. Its strength is its script, its powerhouse of acting talents, and the effortless eeriness it creates. And, Sagar Desai’s music is a definite plus. In a long time, the film has revived memories of the New Wave Indian cinema which are gradually fading out in the overwhelming glamour and glitz of formula-driven potboilers.