Emotion in Motion: A Film That Speaks Through Sign and Silence.

What did Ashish Dabhade say about his film?

The idea for this film came to me towards the end of 2022, and I began writing the script soon after. The concept was unconventional, deviating from traditional storytelling, which initially made it hard to pitch. But when Mr. Dhruv Shah came on board as producer, he brought the belief and momentum the project needed.

Visual storytelling was key, so I teamed up with Aryman Singh Soni, an experienced cinematographer and close friend, who instantly connected with the concept. His involvement as cinematographer marked the start of our core team.

Makeup played a pivotal role in shaping the characters, so we brought on Chhavi Jain. After numerous look tests, she helped finalize the characters’ visual identities.

Casting was particularly challenging. We needed actors capable of conveying deep emotion with minimal dialogue, as the entire film relies on sign language. Since the story is set in an undefined time and place, we developed a unique, fictional sign system, tailored to the isolated world of our characters. This required our three leads —

Laqshyaa Jain (The Girl), Mrs. Pratiksha Belsare (The Grandmother), and Lokesh Nimbgaokar (The Dead) — to undergo a one-month workshop to master the new language and fully embody their roles.

We began filming in August, right in the heart of monsoon season, to capture the dense, green landscape we envisioned. The shoot was demanding — wet, bug- infested terrain tested the crew’s patience — but we wrapped in 4-5 intense days.

Post-production took place in 2024. I edited the film myself. Sound was done at Alaap Studios, DI by Kabir Kotwal, and music composed by Sarthak Kalyani, with lyrics by Vikram Edke.