NYIFF 2025-KAISI YE PAHELI and Two Sinners (Short)

KAISI YE PAHELI
Director: Ananyabrata Chakravorty
Starring: Sukant Goel, Sadhana Singh, Rajit Kapur, Chittaranjan Giri
Run time: 1 Hour 36 minutes
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2025
Country: India

Synopsis:
In the quaint hill town of Shottipur, northeast India, a sixty-year-old warm and cultured widow, Ma, lives with her thirty-something son, Uttam, a policeman. Uttam’s father, Baba, died on duty eight years ago, leaving Ma lonely and yearning for connection. Uttam, however, dismisses her as a simple homemaker, ignoring her intelligence and her past contributions to Baba’s cases. Their strained relationship deepens her isolation.

When 19-year-old Ishita, a talented girl, is found dead in her PG, Uttam joins the inexperienced police team tasked with solving the M**der. The ruling party, eager to promote Shottipur as a tourist haven of honest folk, pressures Uttam’s boss, Tamang, to close the case in two weeks—preferably as a suicide—before the launch. Ma sees this as a chance to bridge the gap with Uttam. She logically debunks the suicide theory, impressing Tamang, who was Baba’s trainee and admired her skills. So, he recruits Ma to assist.
As Ma shines in the investigation, Uttam stubbornly refuses to acknowledge her worth. Then a second M**der happens —of someone close to Ma, making things personal. With days left, a seasoned detective, Bondo, takes over, barring Ma from the station. Undeterred, Ma pursues the killer alone, risking her life, while Uttam remains at odds with her.

Will Ma unmask the murderer? Will Uttam finally see her for the brilliant woman she is? The answers to the who, why, and how of this gripping mystery unfold in Kaisi Ye Paheli, a tale of resilience, redemption, and a mother’s unwavering spirit in the misty hills of Shottipur.

Ananyabrata, a writer-director from Assam and now based in Mumbai, holds degrees in engineering and business administration. His debut feature, Kaisi Ye Paheli (A Mother, a Son, and a M**der) follows his short films 90 to Win and Naukri (Eligible). He also authored the novel Split Second and wrote Hindi lyrics for Ricky Martin’s Vente Pa’ Ca. Apart from filmmaking, Ananyabrata played a freedom fighter in Ram Madhvani’s historical series The Waking of a Nation.

Two Sinners

Director: Samir Zaidi
Starring: Shardul Bhardwaj, Deipak Sampat, Baharul Islam
Run time: 11 minutes 52 seconds
Language: Hindi, Urdu
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

When Azhar's brother forces him to confront the man responsible for their sister's assault, he is thrust into an agonising choice. Does he follow his deep-rooted disdain for violence, or give in to the overwhelming desire for vengeance? Torn between morality and justice, Azhar’s next move will change everything.

Samir Zaidi is a Mumbai-based filmmaker who began his career after earning a degree in Statistics due to familial pressure.

Driven by his passion for cinema, he worked as an Assistant Director on Husband Material (TIFF 2018), Sacred Games (Netflix) and Extraction (Netflix). Samir has had the privilege of assisting renowned directors such as Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, and Vishal Bhardwaj.

His directorial debut, Two Sinners, marks his first major step into independent filmmaking, where he explores emotionally complex narratives and morally challenging themes.

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