What Happened to Manjit and Suman Virk?

Under the Bridge ends with a moment of silence. We see Manjit and Suman Virk listening to their daughter’s Biggie Smalls CD while cleaning her room. The murder trial is over, and for a few seconds, they find solace in the music she loved. Then the track skips—and they’re left to absorb the gravity of what has happened.

Manjit and Suman’s story is one of the many tales portrayed on Under the Bridge, which chronicles the disappearance and death of their daughter, Reena Virk. The Hulu series was adapted from Rebecca Godfrey’s book of the same name, and the show jumps through time to piece it all together. If you’ve been keeping up with Esquire’s coverage, then you’re familiar with the story. If not, here’s a refresher: One night, after a petty fight with her friend Josephine, Reena was invited to a party. She was then attacked and found days later in the gorge. She was fourteen.

After the trial, her parents became local advocates against bullying. Keep reading for everything we know about Manjit and Suman Virk.

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Who Are Reena Virk’s Parents?

Reena’s father, Manjit, was an immigrant, and her mother, Suman, was a Jehovah’s Witness. They’re depicted on Under the Bridge as gentle and kind, but they often sparred with Reena over their family values. Manjit and Suman wanted a quieter life for their daughter, but she was desperate to explore. Her pursuits led her to a clique of troubled teens, which resulted in her tragic death.

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Archie Panjabi (left) and Ezra Faroque Khan (right) as Suman and Manjit Virk on Under the Bridge.

What Happened to the Virks After Reena’s Trial?

Following the trial—which convicted Kelly Ellard and Warren Glowatski of second-degree murder—the Virks became anti-bullying advocates. “Bullies thrive on keeping you quiet,” Suman said in a speech about Reena. “That’s how they get their power. So I can’t stress that enough. If there’s a problem you’re having, talk about it.”

Suman and Manjit also kept in touch with Glowatski, who participated in restorative-justice programs while incarcerated. This relationship is loosely portrayed on Under the Bridge, when Suman visits Glowatski in prison and forgives him. In 2007, the Virks supported his request for day parole and attended his hearing. Afterward, Suman spoke with reporters. “He was an angry, scared little kid who was trying to prove something in a negative way,” she said. “Today, I think we see a young man who has taken responsibility for his actions and is trying to amend the wrong that he did.”

Two years later, the Virks received the Anthony J. Hulme Award of Distinction, recognizing their dedication to community safety. Suman spoke to the Times Colonist after the award ceremony. “I never thought we would be doing this type of work, but we felt very passionately and very strongly that we wanted others to learn from our tragedy.” The Virks’ anti-bullying efforts were recognized again in 2011, when Suman was contacted by the Canadian government and asked to support a youth-justice-focused crime bill. According to the Times Colonist, she supported aspects of the bill, specifically provisions that kept violent offenders in custody while awaiting trial and offered mental-health treatment.

Suman died in 2018 from a choking incident at a restaurant. She was fifty-eight. Manjit continued their advocacy work after his wife’s death and worked briefly with Under the Bridge’s showrunners, who read and optioned his book.

What Is Manjit Virk’s Book About?

In 2008, Manjit published Reena: A Father’s Story, a tell-all about her death. He told CBC that he wanted the public to understand his frustration with the legal system. “I think people have to also see that any normal family, no matter how hard they keep their family intact, they can be derailed by this system,” he said. “I think that’s what has happened here, and I hope others can find something about the book that they can use in their lives.”

Years later, Under the Bridge co-showrunner Samir Mehta turned to Manjit for insights about Reena that were included on the series. “I was in touch with Reena’s father, actually, and we also optioned his book,” Mehta told Decider. “That was a big part of telling the story.” In the book, Manjit describes the day Reena was born. “She was red in the face and screaming, unaware of the tears of joy on her parents’ cheeks,” he wrote. “We named our child Reena, which means queen.”

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