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Soul of Sand

Soul of Sand

Pairon Talle

Sidharth Srinivasan

  • Country: India
  • Year: 2010
  • Language: Hindi
  • Producer: Sidharth Srinivasan, Divya Bhardwaj
  • Executive Producer: Aruna Vasudev
  • Screenplay: Sidharth Srinivasan
  • Runtime: 98
  • Programmes:

screening times

    • Sunday September 12
    • 9:00:00 PM
    • Tiff Bell LightBox 2
    • Tuesday September 14
    • 3:00:00 PM
    • VARSITY 7
    • Sunday September 19
    • 3:30:00 PM
    • Tiff Bell LightBox 2

Note: indicates Premium Screening.

official description

On the outskirts of Delhi, an old silica mine lays abandoned. A watchman still keeps his post each day, sitting attentively in the hot sun as security against absolutely nothing. It is both an existential absurdity and an occasional ironic reality in India, where feudal levels of duty still govern the lives of many. Director Sidharth Srinivasan begins Soul of Sand from this provocative premise, and then weaves it together with characters and appetites straight out of film noir.

The watchman submits to his master’s every demand, certain that his very life depends on total obedience. Although his wife is disgusted by her husband’s subservience, she too appears to know her place. When she finds her own way of rebelling, it is a course that invites tragedy.

Srinisivan makes a bold break with traditional Indian art cinema here. Although the film shows some influence both from Ingmar Bergman and the socially engaged tales of Satyajit Ray and Guru Dutt, Soul of Sand feels much more contemporary. The precise digital cinematography and symmetrical compositions give it an aspect of gallery work, while the shades of electronic music mixed with Western classical instrumentation pull the film right into the present. This is a film of extraordinarily striking aesthetics.

And yet, as structured and disciplined as it is, Soul of Sand is also a sharp cry for social change. Moved by a wave of honour killings among rural dwellers living outside of Delhi, Srinivasan crafts his film to reveal what happens when an oppressed man turns for the first time against his oppressor. Clearly schooled in the best of world cinema – he has cited filmmakers from Bunuel to Oshima to Tobe Hooper as influences – this young auteur has found a way to make films in India that feel urgent, relevant, artful and new.

Cameron Bailey

director bio

Sidharth Srinivasan is an independent filmmaker based in New Delhi and Mumbai. He graduated from St. Stephen’s College and studied Still Photography at the Triveni Kala Sangam. His films as writer-director include The Tightrope Walker (00), Divine Vision (01) and Soul of Sand (10).

full credits

Principal Cast: Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Saba Joshi, Avtar Sahni, Geeta Bisht
Producer: Sidharth Srinivasan, Divya Bhardwaj
Executive Producer: Aruna Vasudev
Cinematographer: S. Nalla Muthu
Editor: Sameera Jain
Sound: Nihar Ranjan Samal
Music: Jona Kompa
Production Designer: B. Nagar
   
International Sales Agent: Reel Illusion Films
Production Company: Reel Illusion Films/Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam
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