I watched this beautiful movie which is directorial debut of Konkana Sen Sharma. The opening scene itself true to the movie's name, shows that a death has taken place. Nandu and his wife Bonnie are travelling along with their eight year daughter Tani to a town called McCluskiegunj in Bihar. They bring along Nandu's cousin Shutu and Bonnie's friend Mimi. They intend to spend the last week of 1978 with Nandu's parents. Nandu's friends Vikram and Brian also visit them. Shutu feels out of place among them.

Shuto is still dealing with the loss of his father. He wears his father's sweaters. He desperately tries to deal with his despair. But his family members take no notice of his pain. They bully him and treat him like a child. They casually throw minor taunts, humiliating him in the name of toughening him up. His only solace is his niece Tani who doesn't treat him terribly like the others. 

Shutu is a sensitive soul and its shown in several scenes. When the group play planchette, Shuto refuses. He feels that it may cause pain to the spirits. This shows how Shuto sees that pain doesn't confine only to the physical state but also mental state. He re-reads Gulliver travels. He has a notebook where he draws pictures of frogs. He has written a set of words starting with the letter ‘E’, saying they are his favorite. The first word is eulogy followed by esoteric, erudite etc. He plays indoor games like chess as opposed to kabaddi like others. He seems like a misfit to others.

Its always expected for a guy to man up, rise to the occasion. No one bothers with Shutu and his well-being. He gets lost in the woods and no one notices his absence. Shutu comes back and sees how perfectly the rest of the group is without him. They are indifferent to him and this crushes him. The movie unfolds to the death of one family member and the suspense slowly builds.

The movie is brilliantly casted and every actor did great justice to their role. But the exemplary performance is by Vikrant Massey playing Shuto. Its not an easy job to play a troubling boy and he plays it with such grace. His eyes are kind and there is a sadness in them. We instantly want to help Shuto and reassure him everything will be alright. 

The movie shows how that this world turns cruel to the sensitive souls. And how mental health of a man is never considered. Its about estrangement and isolation. Shuto's name is not even on the family tree that has even Mimi's name when she is just a friend. It shows how inconsiderate even family members can be and how insignificant they make others feel.

In conclusion, A Death in the Gunj is a must watch movie and will definitely leave you touched. It gives you hope to see there is still real cinema out there and you can relish its authenticity with utmost credence.