Agra distils the dysfunctional family chronicle, the psychosexual drama and the housing dream movie into a provocative tale of urban horror. Kanu Behl’s second feature from 2023, which is finally out in Indian cinemas, ventures into the darkest recesses of a deranged mind.

Guru is 24, intensely repressed and deeply disturbed. The product of a terrible marriage, Guru (Mohit Agarwal) has imploded to the point where he can barely distinguish reality from fantasy.

His mental state is reflected in a recurring motif of different colours flowing into one other, creating an mutating whirlpool. Guru’s domestic situation is a direct contributor to his incipient psychosis.

His father (Rahul Roy) lives with his second wife (Sonal Jha) on the terrace of their house. On the floor below, Guru’s mother (Vibha Chibber) rages against her husband, to no avail. Guru, his mother, and his cousin Chhavi (Aanchal Goswami) are all competing for the room on the roof – trying to become, and eclipse, the despised patriarch.

When Guru meets cyber cafe owner Priti (Priyanka Bose), who has a crippled leg and an equally tormented backstory, his desire of having his own family appears to be within reach. Guru negotiates hard with a builder (Babla Kochhar) to remodel the very house that has made...

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