IFFK selection feels like homecoming: Sanju Surendran

A film that premiered at Busan, If On A Winter’s Night coming to IFFK feels like a homecoming for director Sanju Surendran. “I have been attending IFFK since my college days. Showing your film in your hometown, to your own friends, is very exciting. I am very happy,” he says. The film will be part of the International competition section at the festival.

Made in a mix of Malayalam and Hindi, the film, for which Payal Kapadia is the executive producer, revolves around a few Malayalis living in Delhi. Sanju says it is about displacement, friendships, and relationships within the city. “We are trying to explore Delhi in a raw, ordinary way — not the postcard version, but how ordinary people actually live there. I am not trying to demonise the city; I am just exploring it as it is. The film follows a couple who have just moved to Delhi and are living in a rented house. There are sub-stories that add layers,” he explains.

He recalls an inspiration: “There is this very old film called Musafir, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and screenplay written by Ritwik Ghatak. It deals with life around a rented house. It’s a black-and-white film and was inspirational for me. That said, my film is completely different. Space itself inspires me to build the narrative — it’s integral, almost like a character.”

Why Delhi? Sanju says, “In any other city, the story wouldn’t work — not Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, or Mumbai — only Delhi.”

As for his expectations from IFFK, he says, “It is a very good platform where many independent filmmakers have launched their careers. I hope it will help us secure at least a limited theatrical distribution.”

Speaking about the relevance of film festivals, he adds, “It depends on cultural contexts. In places like Amsterdam, they don’t have industries based on local languages — it’s all Hollywood films, everything else is erased. When we went to Busan, we saw how they promote their local industry; Korean cinema has special sections, awards, and so much visibility. Film festivals should be platforms that promote a fearless kind of cinema.”

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