Bhargav Saikia's debut film 'Bokshi' to have its world premiere at IFFR

New Delhi: Bhargav Saikia's directorial debut feature "Bokshi", a folk horror fantasy shot in the deep forests of Sikkim in Northeast India, will have its world premiere at the prestigious International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2025.

The film is selected in the Harbour section which is named after Rotterdam’s port city identity and focuses on a wide range of contemporary cinema from across the world. The festival will be held from January 30 to February 9, next year.

Starring Mansi Multani of "Pari" fame and "Farrey" actor Prasanna Bisht, the film is in Hindi, English, Nepali and an invented language Boksirit, a fully developed fictional language spoken by a few characters in the film.

This invented language, presented as the progenitor of all modern languages, has been exclusively created for "Bokshi" by renowned Dutch linguist, Jan van Steenbergen, the director said.

Written by debutant screenwriter Harsh Vaibhav, the film explores the journey of a troubled teen, who goes on a high school expedition to a little-known prehistoric site and finds herself tested as a long-forgotten myth unfurls.

Bhargav earlier adapted Ruskin Bond's "The Black Cat" for a short, which starred late Tom Alter and Shernaz Patel.

“IFFR, which is renowned as a discovery festival and for their edgy programming, is just the ideal place to launch my debut feature, 'Bokshi' (which means witch in Nepali). It is an ambitious independent production and an adventurous genre film that took nearly five years to complete. I am grateful to IFFR for giving us this dream premiere," Bhargav said in a statement.

At the centre of the story is troubled teen, Anahita, who finds comfort in Shalini, the mysterious History teacher leading a trek to a little-known prehistoric site, dubbed 'The Navel'. This unconventional school trip into an ancient forest turns eerie as cryptic connections emerge between the Navel and a cult that worships Bokshi, a much-feared folkloric demoness from antiquity.

Falling in line with Shalini's insidious designs, Anahita finds herself tested as the Navel nears and the long-forgotten myth of Bokshi unfurls, forcing her to confront the horrors of her past.

Bhargav said he is drawn to stories that explore life and the human condition through the prism of the fantastical and the macabre.

As someone born and raised in Northeast India where the story is also set, Bhargav said he wanted to weave "a cautionary tale of feminine rebellion with elements of witchcraft, shamanism and eco-horror" through the genres of folk horror and fantasy.