A Death in the Gunj
| A Death In The Gunj | |
|---|---|
 Festival poster | |
| Directed by | Konkona Sen Sharma |
| Screenplay by | Konkona Sen Sharma Disha Rindani |
| Story by | Mukul Sharma |
| Produced by | Ashish Bhatnagar Vijay Kumar Swami Raagii Bhatnagar Honey Trehan Abhishek Chaubey Neil Patel (co-producer) |
| Starring | Vikrant Massey Kalki Koechlin Ranvir Shorey Tillotama Shome Gulshan Devaiah Jim Sarbh Om Puri Tanuja |
| Cinematography | Sirsha Ray |
| Edited by | Aarif Sheikh Manas Mittal |
| Music by | Sagar Desai |
Production companies | MacGuffin Pictures Studioz IDrream Moh Maya Films (presenter) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Languages | English Hindi Bengali |
| Box office | ₹10 million |
A Death In The Gunj is a 2016 Indian drama written and directed by Konkona Sen Sharma.[1][2] It features an ensemble cast of Vikrant Massey, Tillotama Shome, Om Puri, Tanuja, Gulshan Devaiah, Kalki Koechlin, Jim Sarbh and Ranvir Shorey.[3] Produced by Ashish Bhatnagar, Vijay Kumar Swami, Raagii Bhatnagar, Abhishek Chaubey, and Honey Trehan under the banners of Studioz IDrream and MacGuffin Pictures, it is Sharma's directorial debut feature.[4][5][6] Principal photography began in February 2016 and was completed in March 2016 after a six-week shoot.[7] The film released on 2 June 2017 The film got eight nominations at the 63rd Filmfare Awards, including Best Film(Critics), Best Actor (Critics) for Massey, Best Supporting Actress for Tillotama Shome and won Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director for Sensharma.
Plot
Set in 1979, A Death In The Gunj is a coming of age story laced with dark undertones, about a shy student Shyamal Chatterjee who uses a family road trip to McCluskiegunj, an old Anglo-Indian town, as an escape from his failed semester. At the outset, the makings of a perfect family holiday are in place but something is amiss. In the week that follows, Shutu's quiet unraveling is overlooked by the family revellers, until the holiday ends with an implosion. The movie begins with Shutu, recuperating from a recent loss of his father, arriving with his sister's family at a guest house in McCLuskiegunj rented for the vacation. Here, his cousin's family inclusive of her husband, her mother and her father-in-law along with their friends Mimi and Vikram are a group of close knit revellers of their own, neglecting Shutu and frequently treating him like a child. Only his sister's six-year-old daughter Tani seems to get him and often left together to their own devices, the two form a bond. Meanwhile, we see the scenic suggestions of an illicit affair between the still-in-love Mimi and the newly married Vikram, an instance of which Shutu once becomes witness to. A tongue-tied and awkward young man in his early twenties, often left standing on the sidelines and looking on with longing at this boisterous cult of settled youth, knowing not how to join in he is a frequent subject of pranks and indifferent bullying at the hands of this party. With his growing confusion at the unexpected blooming of an old infatuation with Mimi and his suppressed antagonism towards Vikram, whom he is often bullied by, Shutu just wants to be noticed. Somehow, caught between the jealous throes of a haunted Mimi whom he ends up losing his virginity to, here is a secret high in Shutu's life. Beginning to feel a kinship with an eventful life, he steals Vikram's bike, takes Mimi out for a ride and makes sudden love to her in the graveyard. Through all this he unintentionally neglects Tani who then angrily disappears. Late in the afternoon, when everyone is coming down for tea Tani is nowhere to be seen. Initially unworried, everyone is now looking for Tani who has vanished into thin air. Common blame is on Shutu who was supposed to have been with Tani but abandoned her when Mimi asked him for a ride. It is growing dark around the guest house as the forest beckons to souls astray in the night. The two mothers and the old man stay at home as everyone else is out with torches looking for Tani. However, Shutu while calling out for Tani in the forest, accidentally falls into a pit trap that had been laid for a roaming wolf. His brother-in-law, whom he was accompanying, unable to find him impatiently leaves when he gets news that his daughter has been found. Shutu, meanwhile his shouts for help unheard, remains stranded in the pit for an hour and nearly loses his life when the wolf actually stalks up to it, peers down and then fortunately leaves. Afterwards he is discovered and rescued by the guest house watchman, who was sent back by Shutu's aunt to find him. When Shutu reaches home late in the evening he stands on the doorstep and looks into the house at the happy family gathering around and fussing over Tani, completely unawares of his absence. The hero of the day is Vikram who found Tani playing in the backyard of the watchman's relative. A guilt ridden Shutu comes to Tani later in the night and tries to apologise but she refuses to talk to him and asks him to leave. The news of Shutu's failed semester and him having come with his cousin's family for this vacation without telling his mother has now come to light. His aunt writes a letter to her bereaved sister in the morning enclosing with it some money and asks Shutu to post that letter to his mother, call her up at the local station and get a ticket for the first train home. A depressed Shutu cycles to the station, posts the letter, buys the ticket, calls his mother but does not speak to her. When he returns he finds all the family members cheerful and carefree. When he sees Mimi he tells her he is going back home but will be in Calcutta soon to which she replies that he better concentrate on his studies. A distraught Shutu then looks on as the entire family gathers outside for a little picnic. When the old father-in-law calls him to help clean and load his rifle, Shutu silently complies and stands by watching as he practices his shot on a tree. Gripped by the suddenness of a mad desire, he pleads with the old man to let him hold the rifle just once. When the rifle is reluctantly handed over, Shutu turns on him and then points the muzzle at the party celebrating at a distance. The old man's shouting brings their attention to Shutu who is dangerously pointing the rifle towards them. Vikram, then comes forward and tries to calm Shutu down, all the time trying to pull out the revolver at his belt as the group looks on unbelievingly. Shutu, at the end of his tether, backs up against the tree. Hopelessly forlorn and at wit's end he points the muzzle up at his chin and fires as his head blows up in Vikram's face. We now see two men, Shutu's brother-in-law and a friend as they load his body into the car trunk before driving away to the city. We see them distraught and shaken, caught up in their own thoughts as Shutu looks on from the back seat, still the ghost in the room, still wanting to be noticed.
Cast
- Vikrant Massey as Shyamal Chatterjee (Shutu)
- Ranvir Shorey as Vikramjit Chaudhary
- Kalki Koechlin as Mitali (Mimi)
- Tillotama Shome as Bonnie Bakshi
- Gulshan Devaiah as Nandan Bakshi (Nandu)
- Tanuja as Anupama Bakshi, Nandu's mother
- Om Puri as O.P Bakshi, Nandu's father
- Jim Sarbh as Brian McKenzie
- Arya Sharma as Tania Bakshi, Nandu's daughter (Tani)
- Aparna Sen as Shutu's mother
- Virginia Vacho as Mrs Curney
- Canteen Majid as Mr Curney
- Promila Pradhan as Purnima Chaudhary, Vikram's wife
- Ashok Pathak as Mania, Bakshi's servant
- Saraswati Devi Vishwakarma as Manjari, Bakshi's maid servant
- Shimanti Kumari as Manjari's friend
- Chandram Bhagat as Maniya's friend
- Nina Sharma as Mrs McKenzie
- Kitty Texeira as Kitty
- Uttam Mishra as Post Office clerk
Music
The background score is given by Sagar Desai. The soundtrack which includes 5 three folk songs was released by Sony Music.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Into the Gunj" | 2:42 | |
| 2. | "Toothe Gachhe Bhoot Nache (Traditional)" | Simanthi Kumari & Chandram Bhagat | 2:06 |
| 3. | "Jiri Jiri" | Promila Pradhan | 3:55 |
| 4. | "The Sweater" | 1:31 | |
| 5. | "Planchette" | 1:09 | |
| 6. | "Shutu Mimi" | 2:21 | |
| 7. | "Raiyo Raiyo" | Simanthi Kumari | 0:42 |
| 8. | "Kabaddi" | 1:44 | |
| 9. | "Shutu's Pain" | 1:56 | |
| 10. | "Shutu's Dilemma and the Sister's Letter" | 1:55 | |
| 11. | "A Death in the Gunj" | 7:09 | |
| 12. | "Toothe Gachhe Bhoot Nache" | Simanthi Kumari | 1:26 |
Release
A Death in the Gunj was launched by Gulzar and Vishal Bhardwaj at a press conference on 13 January 2016.[8] The film's World premiere took place at the 21st annual 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September 2016. Its Asian premiere was held at the 21st Busan International Film Festival on 7 October 2016. It was chosen as the Opening Film for the 18th Mumbai Film Festival where it was screened on 21 October 2016 and where director Konkona Sensharma received the 'MasterCard Best India Female Filmmaker 2016 Award'. A Death in the Gunj also had its US premiere as the Opening Film of its 13th South Asian International Film Festival on the night of 30 November 2016.[9] The film released in Indian theatres on June 2, 2017.[10][11][12] [13]
Box office
A Death in the Gunj released in India on a meagre 100 screens and had an average opening. It collected a total of ₹5.2 million in its opening week. With a limited theatrical release, the film earned around ₹10 million during its entire run at the box-office.[14]
Film festivals
A Death in the Gunj opened to positive response at various film festivals. It started its' festival run by being invited to screen at 2016 Toronto International Film Festival by festival programmer and film critic, Cameron Bailey. There on, ADITG has been screened at over 30 film festivals, domestic as well as internationally. ADITG has received 7 nominations in various film festivals and received 5 awards.[15]
Awards and nominations
| Date of Ceremony | Award | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 18th Jio MAMI Film Festival | MasterCard Best Indian (Female) | Konkona Sen Sharma | Won | |
| 2017 | New York Indian Film Festival | Best Director | Konkona Sen Sharma | Won | |
| Best Film | A Death In The Gunj | Nominated | |||
| Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival | Best Fiction Film | A Death In The Gunj | Won | ||
| Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | Best Director | Konkona Sen Sharma | Nominated | ||
| Best Indie Film | A Death In The Gunj | Nominated | |||
| Caleidoscope Indian Film Festival | Best Performance by a Male Actor | Vikrant Massey | Won | ||
| Ranvir Shorey | Nominated | ||||
| Best Performance by a Female Actor | Kalki Koechlin | Nominated | |||
| Best Audience Choice | A Death In The Gunj | Won | |||
| Best Director | Konkona Sen Sharma | Nominated | |||
| Best Feature Film | A Death In The Gunj | Nominated | |||
| Best Technical Excellence | A Death In The Gunj | Nominated | |||
| 16 January 2018 | Films of India Online Awards | Best Feature Film | A Death In The Gunj | Won | [16] |
| Best Direction | Konkona Sen Sharma | Won | |||
| Best Actor In A Leading Role | Vikrant Massey | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress In A Supporting Role | Kalki Koechlin | Nominated | |||
| Tillotama Shome | Nominated | ||||
| Best Performance By An Ensemble Cast | A Death In The Gunj | Won | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Disha Rindani, Konkona Sen Sharma | Won | |||
| Best Background Score | Sagar Desai | Won | |||
| Best Cinematography | Sirsha Ray | Won | |||
| Best Editing | Arif Sheikh & Manas Mittal | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound Design | Kunal Sharma | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Siddharth Sirohi | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Rohit Chaturvedi | Nominated | |||
| Best Make-Up & Hair Styling | Kaushal D'souza, Prashant Doiphode | Nominated | |||
| 20 January 2018 | Filmfare Awards | Best Debut Director | Konkona Sen Sharma | Won | |
| Best Cinematography | Sirsha Ray | Won | |||
| Best Costume Design | Rohit Chaturvedi | Won | |||
| Best Film (Critics) | A Death In The Gunj | Nominated | [17] | ||
| Best Actor (Critics) | Vikrant Massey | Nominated | [18] | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Tillotama Shome | Nominated | |||
| Best Background Score | Sagar Desai | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Siddharth Sirohi | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Aarif Sheikh, Manas Mittal | Nominated | |||
| 6 March 2018 | Bollywood Film Journalists Awards | Best Director | Konkona Sen Sharma | Won | [19] |
| Best Story (Adapted) | A Death In The Gunj | Won | |||
| Best Editing | Aarif Sheikh, Manas Mittal | Won | |||
| Best Costume Design | Rohit Chaturvedi | Won | |||
| 20 March 2018 | News18 Reel Movie Awards | Best Cinematography | Sirsha Ray | Won | [20] |
| Best Film | A Death In The Gunj | Nominated | [21] | ||
| Best Director | Konkona Sen Sharma | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Vikrant Massey | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Ranvir Shorey | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Kalki Koechlin | Nominated | |||
| Tillotama Shome | Nominated | ||||
| Best Art / Production Design | Siddharth Sirohi | Nominated | [22] | ||
| Best Editing | Aarif Sheikh, Manas Mittal | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Disha Rindani, Konkona Sen Sharma | Nominated | |||
References
- ^ Anjuri Nayar Singh (12 January 2016). "Behind the camera: Tales of actors turning directors".
- ^ Kamal Kaur (24 December 2015). "Kenya: Konoka Dons Her Director Hat for New Movie".
- ^ IANS (3 January 2016). "Tillotama Shome, Gulshan Devaiah to play couple in Konkona Sen Sharma's directorial 'A Death In The Gunj'".
- ^ "Konkona Sen Sharma: Passionate About Making a Film". 30 June 2015.
- ^ Bolly-Freak (5 January 2016). "First Look: 'A Death in The Gunj' by Konkana Sen Sharma". PinkVilla.
- ^ "Bollywood Celebs at Launch film 'A Death In The Gunj'". Archived from the original on 28 January 2016.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "It's a wrap for Konkona Sensharma's directorial debut". Deccan Chronicle. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ^ "Gulzar and Vishal Bhardwaj launch Konkana's directorial debut 'A Death in the Gunj'". 6 January 2016.
- ^ "Konkona's A Death in the Gunj premieres at 18th Mumbai Film Fest". Hindustan Times. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- ^ "Konkona Sen's A Death In The Gunj to release on June 2". hindustantimes.com/. 13 May 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "A Death In The Gunj Movie Review: A Beautiful Tragedy". Movie Talkies. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ "A Death In The Gunj movie review: Experimental, surreal and successful". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
- ^ "Review: Expect the Unexpected from 'A Death In The Gunj'". The Quint. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
- ^ "A Death In The Gunj". Box Office India. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ Ramasubramanian, Uma (16 February 2017). "Exclusive: When Konkona found no backers for her debut A Death in the Gunj". Deccan Chronicles. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ "Winners & Nominations: 3rd FOI Online Awards, 2018". FOI Online Awards.
- ^ "Critics Best Film 2017 Nominees | Filmfare Awards". filmfare.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ^ "Critics Best Actor in Leading Role Male 2017 Nominees | Filmfare Awards". filmfare.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ^ . pp. http://www.powerbrands360.com/images/bollywoodawards/FinalVoteCount.pdf.
{{cite book}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "'Newton' & 'Mukti Bhawan' Win Big at the REEL Movie Awards". The Quint. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "Reel Movie On Screen Awards 2018 | Best Film, Actor, Actress, Director and More". News18. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "Reel Movie Behind The Scenes Awards 2018 |Best Cinematography, Sound, Art / Production Design, Editing, Music, Screenplay, Dialogues". News18. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
