Tungrus (India) by Rishi Chandna

Rishi Chandna’s Tungrus Joins the Auteur Cinema Archive

The Auteur Cinema Archive is delighted to announce the inclusion of Tungrus (2018, India) by Rishi Chandna—an uproarious and perfectly observed short documentary that proves auteur cinema doesn’t always have to be solemn. With razor-sharp timing, cinéma vérité authenticity, and surprising emotional depth, Tungrus is a hilarious portrait of domestic absurdity and ethical ambiguity in the heart of suburban Mumbai.

At the center of this documentary is a perfectly ludicrous premise: a middle-class Indian family has been living for months with a pet rooster in their cramped apartment. What began as a quirky gesture by the eccentric patriarch (who originally brought home the chick as a playmate for the cats) has spiraled into an escalating domestic crisis. The rooster—now fully grown, chaotic, and unapologetically alive—terrorizes cats, ruins floors, crows at all hours, and forces every family member to reflect on the nature of affection, nuisance, and consumption.

Shot with a naturalistic lens and edited with sharp comedic rhythm, Tungrus feels at once spontaneous and masterfully composed. Each member of the household delivers personal, often hilarious testimony about their rooster-in-residence—culminating in the looming question: should he be kept as a pet, or served for dinner?

Curator Kris De Meester on the film’s inclusion:
"Tungrus is pure cinéma vérité—raw, unscripted, and extremely hilarious. It’s observational filmmaking at its finest, filled with detail, character, and warmth. Rishi Chandna creates an auteur work not through stylization, but through authenticity, rhythm, and restraint. It’s a brilliant reminder that auteur cinema doesn’t always have to be serious—it can be funny, absurd, and still say something profound."

Premiering at Visions du Réel in 2018, Tungrus went on to screen at major international festivals including Hot Docs, Docaviv, Palm Springs ShortFest, Krakow, and Short Shorts & Asia, and was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance and Best Director (Non-Fiction) at the CCSFA. It was also picked up by prestigious platforms such as the New York Times Op-Docs, The Atlantic Selects, Criterion FilmStruck, and Amazon Prime, reaching a global audience and cementing its place as one of the most celebrated short documentaries of its time.

Chandna’s film doesn’t preach or moralize. Instead, it captures the beautiful chaos of modern family life and the odd ways in which we form attachments—even to creatures meant for the dinner table. By turning the camera on the ordinary, Tungrus reveals the surreal lurking just beneath the surface.

Its inclusion in the Auteur Cinema Archive is both a celebration of the film’s cinematic craft and a reminder that the human condition is often best explored through humor, contradiction, and a crowing rooster in the living room.