Indian filmmaker Bhargav Saikia’s supernatural folk horror Bokshi is set to make its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, drawing early global attention with French-U.K. outfit Alief acquiring its international sales rights. The film, which ventures into the eerie and atmospheric side of horror rather than the industry’s recent horror-comedy trend, will be presented to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin.
At the heart of Bokshi is the story of Anahita, a troubled teenager who embarks on a school trek led by her mysterious history teacher, Shalini. What begins as an ordinary excursion soon takes a sinister turn as the group reaches an ancient site known as ‘The Navel,’ uncovering connections to a cult devoted to the folkloric demoness Bokshi.
Saikia told Variety that the film is a cautionary tale exploring socially relevant themes. “At its core, it is a cautionary tale that sheds light on universal and socially relevant themes of women empowerment and humanity’s relation with Mother Earth,” he said. “The film attempts to subvert the negative idea of the witch prevalent in society and presents it as a symbol of empowerment of the female.”
Watch the clip from the film here:
Shot over 80 days in the unforgiving winter landscapes of the Eastern Himalayas, the production faced significant logistical challenges. The filmmaker insisted on capturing the raw beauty and isolation of the setting, shooting entirely in real locations with a crew of over a hundred. “Major portions of the film were shot in dense forests of the Eastern Himalayan state of Sikkim during peak winter,” Saikia said. “I was adamant on shooting entirely in real locations and using every technical resource that we could afford to make the film authentic.”
Adding to its immersive quality, Bokshi features dialogue in Hindi, English, Nepali, and Boksirit—a constructed language developed specifically for the film by Dutch linguist Jan van Steenbergen. The project, developed over five years by Saikia’s Mumbai-based Lorien Motion Pictures, endured pandemic-related setbacks and financial struggles. “Bokshi is a fully self-financed film,” he revealed. “At one point, I felt the film could be shelved. My family had to go through tremendous hardships and sacrifices to facilitate the film’s completion.”
The origins of the film’s story trace back to Saikia’s personal experiences at boarding school in Assam. “I spent my growing up years in a boarding school where every year we were sent on expeditions to the neighbouring hill states,” he recalled. “The memories of one particular trip to Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh remained with me during which we had camped next to a Hindu cremation ground by a river. Moreover, a group of students had got lost while trekking and returned to the campsite quite late in the night. This entire setting was surreal and eerie.”
With renewed audience interest in horror following the success of Shaitaan and the re-release of Tumbbad, Saikia sees a growing appetite for darker, more atmospheric storytelling in Indian cinema. “There is a clear shift in audiences’ taste since the COVID-19 pandemic,” he noted.
Alief’s Miguel Angel Govea, speaking to Variety, described the film as evocative of classic campfire horror stories. “‘Bokshi’ evoked my own memories of school trip camp-fire tales, when you were finally allowed to set your imagination free,” he said. “We are delighted to be representing the film and working with a truly great team of filmmakers.”
Starring Mansi Multani and Prasanna Bisht, the film’s creative team includes cinematographers Siddharth Sivasankaran and A. Vasanth, composer Advait Nemlekar, and editor Himanshu Chutia Saikia. Screenwriter Harsh Vaibhav also serves as executive producer.
Following its Rotterdam premiere, Saikia hopes to take Bokshi to major genre festivals such as Sitges and Fantasia. “I am especially interested to see how the film will be received in Nepal and by the Nepali-speaking people since for them, the word ‘Boksi’ is instantly identifiable,” he said. “Bokshi’s primary target audience is the young adult segment and I believe the film has good potential to appeal to audiences in India and overseas.”
Alief’s Berlin lineup also includes Jerome Yoo’s Mongrels, Cesar Agusto Acevedo’s Horizonte, and BBC Films’ Edge of Summer. The International Film Festival Rotterdam runs from 30 January to 9 February.
About Author
Leave a Reply