INTERVIEW | Bhargav Saikia Is The Filmmaker Weaving Northeast Mysticism Into Global Horror With His Debut Bokshi

In conversation with ETV Bharat, Bhargav Saikia reveals not only the method behind his macabre but the personal journey that led him to directing “Bokshi”

There’s a particular magic to speaking with a filmmaker whose work thrives in the shadowy corners of imagination. Bhargav Saikia from Assam is one such artist. The 36-year-old filmmaker's debut feature film, Bokshi, is already making waves with its selection at the prestigious International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in the Netherlands and accolades from industry stalwarts like Anurag Kashyap. The Prasanna Bisht-Mansi Multani-Shernaz Patel starrer is a folk horror fantasy, or as Saikia calls it, “a genre film”.

“Bokshi follows the coming of age of a teenage girl haunted by the demons of her past. It is a story of feminine rebellion with elements of witchcraft, shamanism and eco-horror,” says the director who started off at Subhash Ghai's film school Whistling Woods, intending to learn direction. “Then, life happened,” Saikia recalls, laughing. It was here he pivoted from direction to producing, a decision that would lead to his first foray into cinema, Kaafiron Ki Namaaz, back in 2015. “I dropped out of film school to make it. It was a big risk, but when has playing safe ever been an option?”

A still from the film Bokshi (Lorien)

Since then, Saikia’s horror short Awakenings(2015) was screened at several noted genre film festivals, including Sitges and Neuchâtel. His fantasy short, The Black Cat(2017), received nominations for Best Fiction Film and Best Director at the 2018 Critics’ Choice Short Film Awards presented by Film Critics Guild India. An adaptation of Ruskin Bond's story, The Black Catfeatured Shernaz Patel (who is also part of Bokshi) and the late Tom Alter in his final role. “Tom was incredible. That project was like saying goodbye to a legend while creating something timeless,” he says.

Rooted In Culture

Saikia’s maiden feature Bokshiunder his banner Lorien Motion Pictures, was serendipitously born during an accidental detour to Sikkim with writer Harsh Vaibhav. “It wasn’t even our planned destination. We were doing a recce with Harsh's script for Bokshibut it was initially set in another location,” he reveals. The region’s unique culture steeped in nature worship and mysticism, became the spine of his story. “Growing up in Assam and traveling across the Northeast, I was surrounded by folklore and rituals. Those lived experiences shaped what you will see on the screen.”

The young Mumbai-based filmmaker hails from Assam (ETV Bharat)

A significant highlight of the film is its original language for the witches, Boksirit, something Saikia felt was necessary to root the mythology in authenticity. “We wanted the language to feel ancient, like it predated all other languages,” he explains. Enter Dutch linguist Jan van Steenbergen, who collaborated on developing the language. He is the Vice President of the Language Creation Society that Saikia wrote to. “He’s a fan of the Ramsay Brothers and Shah Rukh Khan, so he was gung-ho about a project from India right away.”

Genre Fan For The Ages

Saikia’s love affair with horror began in childhood. “Camping by a river on a boarding school trip next to a cremation ground in Arunachal Pradesh—I still remember the crackle of the pyre. That stayed with me,” he says. He's quick to note that Indian horror has evolved. “Thanks to filmmakers like Ram Gopal Varma and the success of horror comedies, horror is no longer relegated to the B-grade bin. Now, there’s room for filmmakers like me to explore the genre seriously.”

His admiration for global horror legends Guillermo del Toro, J.A. Bayona and Robert Eggers is palpable. “I had the pleasure of meeting J.A. Bayona at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain. He was there for A Monster Calls, and I was screening my short, Awakenings. Meeting him reaffirmed my love for this genre. His Spanish film The Orphanageis my all-time favourite.”

Rotterdam and Recognition

Being selected for IFFR in the Netherlands was a dream come true for Saikia. “Stefan Borsos (festival programmer) discovered Bokshiwhile it was still in production. IFFR has this knack for championing unique voices, and I’m so grateful they saw potential in my work,” he says.

A still from the film Bokshi (Lorien)

Recognition from Indian cinema’s mavericks adds to the momentum. “Anurag Kashyap sharing my trailer was a big moment. He’s the OG filmmaker who has paved the way for unusual stories. I’ve already had two companies call me because of his post. That kind of generosity is rare.”

Saikia’s next project is already in motion: a mainstream horror-comedy. “I want to strike a balance between indie and mainstream cinema. I want to make movies that are both commercially viable and creatively fulfilling,” he says. For him, the goal is clear: to tell stories that haunt and entertain in equal measure.

With Bokshi, Saikia has set the tone for what promises to be a riveting career. As the genre evolves, he is poised to be at its forefront, crafting narratives that are as thought-provoking as they are spine-chilling.