A Death in the Gunj

Set in 1979, in the old Anglo-Indian town of McCluskieganj (then part of Bihar, now in Jharkhand), the film opens on a tense scene: Nandu and Brian stand over a dead body hidden in the trunk of their car, wrestling with what to do next. They decide to move on, driving away with Shutu—their quiet, sensitive cousin—riding in the back seat, the car leaving the morgue behind as the scene cuts back to a week earlier.

The story then travels back to a house in McCluskieganj where a small extended clan gathers after a long journey from Calcutta. At the center is Nandu, his wife Bonnie, their daughter Tani, Bonnie’s friend Mimi, and Shutu, his cousin whose gentle nature has always made him both endearing and vulnerable to jokes from the family. Ashok Pathak gives depth to Nandu, a man caught between affection and expectations, while Bonnie’s warmth anchors the household. Mimi, portrayed by Kalki Koechlin, is a vibrant but wary presence who soon forms a complicated bond with Shutu. Shutu himself, played by Vikrant Massey, is introduced as someone who tops his class yet grapples with the ache of a father long gone, making him simultaneously tender and uncertain.

As the week unfolds, Shutu’s sense of belonging frays. A rough Kabaddi game with the hot-headed Vikram—Ranvir Shorey—leaves him battered and more acutely aware of his own vulnerability. In a quiet, charged turn, Shutu and Mimi share a moment of intimacy, and a fragile attraction begins to blossom. Mimi, however, treats Shutu with a practical detachment, her interest tied more to Vikram than to the shy young man who adores her. The tension between desire, loyalty, and hurt life in the family’s rooms, kitchens, and derelict corners, creating a pulse beneath the surface.

Shutu’s affection for Mimi complicates things further when he and Mimi steal a ride on a motorcycle. Returning home, the group discovers that Tani has disappeared after Shutu chose to spend time with Mimi instead of her. The weight of that moment lands hard on Shutu; he is left feeling abandoned and increasingly invisible. A search ensues with Nandu and others, yet Shutu’s sense of being overlooked grows as the family’s attention shifts toward Tani’s safety. When the girl turns up unharmed, relief quiets the house, but no one seems to notice that Shutu is missing.

The next day brings a painful pivot. Shutu buys a train ticket to return to Calcutta and tells Mimi that he will come back soon. Mimi’s terse dismissal—urging him to focus on his studies—lands with a cold finality. Outside, the scene reveals a house full of people who appear content and secure, a false mask that deepens Shutu’s sense of isolation. The graver moment arrives as O.P. Bakshee, the old patriarch, teaches him to shoot a rifle with a weathered, ancestral rifle. The act—seen through Shutu’s eyes—turns from a rite of passage into a desperate appeal for belonging and control.

In the weeks that follow, a quiet unraveling culminates in a shocking act. Shutu, feeling profoundly unloved and unseen, seizes the rifle from O.P. and turns it toward himself and those around him. The room erupts in pleas and attempts to calm him, but the gun stays aimed at his own future, and he pulls the trigger. The collapse of the family’s fragile veneer is swift and tragic: Shutu dies, leaving everyone to confront how easily tenderness can become a casualty of neglect and fear.

The film circles back to that opening scene as the credits roll, with Nandu and Brian driving away once more, Shutu’s body in the trunk and his ghost somehow present in the car’s backseat. The final credits linger on the road behind them, offering a spectral perspective that invites reflection on loss, memory, and the cost of not truly seeing the people closest to us.

This story unfolds with a restrained, empathetic gaze that refuses to sensationalize tragedy. The ensemble cast—Ashok Pathak as Nandu, Kalki Koechlin as Mimi, Vikrant Massey as Shutu, Tillotama Shome as Bonnie, Om Puri as O.P Bakshee, Ranvir Shorey as Vikram, and Jim Sarbh as Brian—renders a story of quiet crises, human fragility, and the ache of not being enough for the people who matter most. The film invites viewers to sit with uncomfortable truths about family dynamics, social expectations, and the unbearable ache of feeling unseen, all while maintaining a calm, observational tone that lets each choice and consequence breathe.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:46