Exclusive: Konkona reveals how her father's story inspired Death in the Gunj
She may have proved her mettle as an actor, but this is the first time that Konkona Sen Sharma has moved behind the camera. Her directorial debut, A Death in the Gunj, is a story about a family that embarks on a little holiday. The film features Kalki Koechlin, Ranvir Shorey, Jim Sarb and the late Om Puri among others, and is set in 1979 in the small hilly town of McCluskie Gunj in Jharkhand.
“My parents used to have a holiday home in McCluskie Gunj, one where my grandparents also lived for a couple of years. It is a quiet and sleepy Anglo-Indian town. It’s also very picturesque,” she says about why she picked the place.
“When you think everything is fine, something unexpected happens,” says Konkana, giving us a glimpse into the film that is yet to have an India release. It has, however, made its way to international film festivals such as Toronto International Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival among others. Konkona also won the best female director at the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) 2016.
As a writer-director for the first time, recreating 1979 for the screen was the most fun aspect of the film, says Konkona, who was last seen in Akira.
Konkona’s film is a fictionalised retelling of an incident that was experienced by her parents and their friends. The production of the film relied on memories of the locals and her own family. “My father had told me the story of this incident on several occasions since I was eight or nine years old,” she recalls, confessing that she took the liberty to alter some parts of the story.
“I was in Delhi with my father. And, in the midst of a discussion, the story fleshed out deeper in my head and developed further. A lot of the story is inspired from true events, some are original thoughts and some are a part of my imagination — the film is an amalgamation of all,” she adds.
Konkana further admits that listening to her father tell her countless stories through the years has, in a way or more, influenced her writing and directing style.
