Bhargav Saikia is excited to share that his first feature film, “Bokshi,” which means witch in Nepali, will be shown for the first time at the famous International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2025. This movie is a mix of folklore and horror and is filmed in the beautiful forests of Sikkim, Northeast India.
The film stars Mansi Multani (known from “A Suitable Boy”) and Prasanna Bisht. It features a unique mix of languages: Hindi, English, Nepali, and a totally made-up language called “Boksirit.” This new language was created by a famous Dutch expert, Jan van Steenbergen, who wanted to show it as the first language ever spoken by humans.
Before “Bokshi,” Bhargav made two short horror films inspired by well-known stories. He got the idea for “Bokshi” while recalling an adventure from his school days when he went camping near a spooky river and a cremation ground. He wanted to tell a story that was personal and connected to nature and his worries about how humans treat the Earth.
One exciting part of “Bokshi” is its special language, which is rare in Indian films—only a few have used made-up languages like this before. Bhargav wanted the language to feel like it came from India, so it has hints of other Indian languages.
J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of “The Lord of the Rings,” inspired Bhargav’s love for fantasy stories. He is also influenced by filmmakers like Ari Aster and Luca Guadagnino, who push the limits of horror filmmaking.
As horror movies are becoming popular in India, Bhargav thinks it’s great to see more horror comedies being made. He hopes to make a fun-horror film next!
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