The setting for the Indian folk horror film Bokshi was the result of a lapse in memory by its director, Bhargav Saikia. He intended to set his movie in Derang, Arunachal Pradesh, a place he had visited during a school expedition. Instead, he told his writer that the location was Sikkim, and Bokshi came to be set in the smallest of all the northeastern states. But it is big on ambition—a blend of folk tales, horror, gore, and ecological concerns with a distinct feminist gaze.
“Bokshi in Nepali means ‘witch,’ and we wanted to work around the theme of witch-hunting in India and Nepal. We wanted to subvert the idea of the witch and show her as an empowered feminine presence,” said Saikia.
His directorial debut feature—shot in the dense forests of Sikkim—will have its world premiere at the prestigious International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2025.
The film explores the journey of a troubled teen, Anahita (Prasanna Bisht), who goes on a high school expedition to a little-known prehistoric site under the guidance of a mysterious teacher, Shalini (Mansi Multani). Soon, the expedition starts opening up repressed childhood memories, leading to accidents and deaths. Anahita is forced to confront her own past and take a closer look at the world around her.
Bokshi subverts typical horror stereotypes to become a dark coming-of-age story for the young protagonist while exploring the concept of the ‘wild woman’. The film relies heavily on shades of red, from costumes to actual blood.
“While the narrative primarily draws inspiration from folklore and myths of Sikkim, I was possibly also inspired by the importance of the colour red and the symbolism of feminine power in Maa Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. These two elements instinctively found their way into the film’s visual language, Saikia said.
The film’s poster and trailer even aroused the curiosity of filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who shared it on Instagram with the caption: “What is this teaser .. BOKSHI.. so looking forward to this film and its playing at @iffr . Main aa raha hoon (I am coming).”
Also read: This director was told Musahars were ‘evil’. New film tackles their marginalisation, his bias
A language for the ‘first female on earth’
The film is in Hindi, English, Nepali, and an invented language, Boksirit—a fictional tongue spoken by a few characters in the film. This ‘new’ language is presented as the progenitor of all modern languages and was exclusively created for the film by Dutch linguist Jan van Steenbergen.
“We wanted to communicate that this is the language of Bokshi. We needed a new language since we are depicting Bokshi as the first female on earth. We needed it to sound unpolished, have a link to the Indian subcontinent, and [exist] without a written script. The complication was finding a linguist,” said Saikia.
He was inspired by the fictional language Kiliki, created by linguist Madhan Karky for the Bahubali films by incorporating ancient Dravidian languages with influences from tribal dialects. After discovering the Language Creation Society (LCS), whose members created Dothraki and Valyrian for Game of Thrones, Saikia received multiple pitches. One stood out—Steenbergen’s.
“He mentioned that he was a big fan of Indian culture, the Ramsay brothers, and Shah Rukh Khan,” said Saikia. “My brief was that it should sound like it’s part of a dark world. My inspiration was Parseltongue from the Harry Potter series.”
That is why, when the witches speak, it sounds a lot like hissing. Lead actors spent multiple online sessions with Steenbergehn to perfect the pronunciation. The last 20 minutes of the film’s climax feature only characters speaking in Boksirit.
With this, Bokshi joins Baahubali to become the only Indian film to feature fictional languages created specifically for them.
Also read: ‘In Retreat’ film shows a different side of Ladakh. It’s not like Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots
Assam to Sikkim: a journey of folklore
Saikia grew up in the small town of Biswanath Chariali in Assam before enrolling in the British-run Assam Valley School. He immersed himself in fantasy books gifted by his maternal grandfather and supplemented this with a steady diet of movies.
In boarding school, he got the opportunity to visit other parts of India during class expeditions, and his experience in Derang stayed with him.
“We camped next to a cremation ground and a river. I also remember a couple of students got lost while trekking—it was such an adventure. I met Harsh, and we talked about the idea of a horror film set in a high school on an expedition,” Saikia recalled.
He may have gotten the state wrong, but Sikkim proved to be a treasure trove of folklore. Along with Vaibhav, Saikia met shamans and lived with local residents, including a bookseller and a river activist, to refine the narrative. They consulted residents at every stage, and the process took five years.
Saikia also wanted to focus on the ecological impact of human activities on land and communities in the Northeast that live in tandem with nature.
“We wanted the central character’s trauma to be connected to her mother. We also wanted to show how Mother Earth has been betrayed by her own human children,” said Saikia. This ties into the idea of the powerful feminine figure feared and punished, reflecting historical evidences where educated, independent women were branded as witches and killed.
This theme piqued the interest of actor Mansi Multani, who plays Shalini.
“She brought her own suggestions, like how her braid is used in some of the scenes, and it also added to the film,” said Saikia.
At 2.5 hours, Bokshi is a slow burn and a culmination of Saikia’s fascination with horror and fantasy films, as well as the many childhood hours he spent engrossed in books. His previous films, Awakenings (2015) and The Black Cat (2017), also explore themes of fantasy and horror.
“ I would like to be known as a genre filmmaker, and I truly think horror has the potential to bring out a lot of stories in our culture. With the surging popularity of horror comedies, it’s the perfect time to experiment,” said Saikia.
An idiotic film. Watched it and then regretted watching it. A total waste of time.
Tina – There Is No Alternative.
Tina and her north-east fetish!
Tina Das’ obsession with Assam and the Assamese people is weird. It’s as if she fetishises the north-eastern state and it’s people.