At the 63rd National Awards this year, a young team led by 24-year-old director Varun Tandon won a Special Mention for Direction at the Awards for short film, Syaahi. The jury recognised the film for its “conglomeration of sense and sensibilities depicted through the innocence of a young mind”. When asked about the thought behind the film, Varun said he wanted to take on something simple. "I had a script in mind, and found a bunch of passionate people who believed in the idea. There was no target audience, or any such thing. It was a very personal process, and things, eventually, just fell into place. We had no idea it would win a National Award." Consequently, Syaahi is set in the hills, and tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, his relationships, and the lessons he learns.

In the process, Krati gave the film 8 first time co-producers!

Syaahi was shot in a remote location in Uttrakhand in the summer of 2015, with a largely local crew and a tight 6-day shooting schedule. Making a ‘short’ film that is, 30 minutes long, with no obvious avenue of a film release, took a team with unquestioning belief in the film’s script and vision. The film is currently being screened at festivals around the world and will be up online soon.

Meanwhile, you can check out the film's Facebook page here.