Kanu Behl's new film, "Agra," is making waves for its bold and unsettling portrayal of repressed desires and fractured family dynamics within the confines of a cramped urban space. Premiering at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and now in limited release, "Agra" delves into the life of Guru, a young man grappling with sexual frustration and the suffocating environment of his home in Agra.
Guru (Mohit Agarwal), a call center employee, lives in a dilapidated two-story house with his acerbic mother (Vibha Chibber) on the ground floor, while his domineering father (Rahul Roy) resides upstairs with his second wife (Sonal Jha). The film wastes no time in exposing the consequences of widespread repression – physical, sexual, and mental. Guru's existence is defined by his inability to find release, whether through online interactions or seeking refuge in his bathroom. The house itself becomes a symbol of suffocation, embodying the tension and unspoken resentments simmering beneath the surface.
Behl masterfully uses the physical space of the house to mirror the characters' psychological states. The cramped quarters and lack of privacy amplify Guru's frustration and feelings of entrapment. The film explores how the limited space in urban India intertwines with sexual repression, patriarchal toxicity, and the quiet violence of everyday family life. The explicit sexual fantasies depicted are not meant to titillate but to illuminate the troubled soul yearning for liberation.
"Agra" fearlessly tackles challenging societal themes such as consent and complex gender dynamics. Through Guru's deteriorating psychological state, the film explores the dark consequences of his emotional turmoil, charting his unsettling journey through delusion and self-destruction. The film raises pivotal questions about gender dynamics and marital struggles that are often silenced within a problematic social structure.
Mohit Agarwal delivers a standout performance as Guru, capturing the character's haunted gaze and terrifying rage. Rahul Roy is a revelation as the hypocritical father. Vibha Chibber and Sonal Jha embody the bitterness of women lamenting patriarchy but unwilling to relinquish its benefits. Priyanka Bose shines as the enigmatic Priya, navigating the power dynamics of society and home with dignity.
Kanu Behl's direction establishes an unrelenting descent into the protagonist's fractured psyche, setting a harsh and uncomfortable tone throughout the film. The narrative intricately blends incel infatuation with a man grappling with his sexual urges, offering a disturbing look at the emotional consequences of toxic masculinity. "Agra" doesn't offer easy resolutions, reflecting how material needs shape the human psyche. The desire for personal space, the presence of the father's mistress, and the son's desires all become metaphors for control, shame, agency, and aspiration.
"Agra" is not a film made for comfort. It is a raw and audacious work that lays bare the suffocating dynamics of a family trapped in each other's shadows. The film is a mirror to a society that fears intimacy yet craves it, where love and loneliness coexist in the same cramped space. It is an unsettling and claustrophobic experience that is impossible to ignore.
