Horror films might give nightmares for many who watch them but they can be a cherished dream for a few like Nikhil Sablania, a filmmaker from India. Nikhil has been an avid horror film buff since his childhood who would spend nights watching horror films alone in his room. His dream came true last year when he completed the final print of his horror film titled ‘Siski’ (The Sigh).


On September 4, 2009, the film was screened at the Portebello film festival, London, the UK’s biggest independent film festival. The film tells the story of a young, loving couple who shift into their new home only to find themselves surrounded by a series of supernatural incidents that leave them baffled and menaced. These eventually lead them to discover the murder of a little girl in the house, something that was so far unknown to the world but to those who had perpetrated it.

'I always wanted to make a horror film but it was very challenging. The most challenging thing was that it could turn out into a comedy film. Nowadays, audiences are watching horror-thrillers from around the world, thus a challenge for a filmmaker to make the same audience scare becomes immense. Fortunately, Putul Mahmood, and Ambresh Chakrabarthy, faculty at SRFTI (Satyajit Ray Film & TV Institute) have helped me a lot in preparing a good script and then my crew and production department made the things easier for me. It is a dream came true after four years and I was really nervous at the first screening of the film. But the appreciation by the audience have boosted my confidence as a horror filmmaker,” says Nikhil Sablania.



The film received a terrific response at the festival and succeeded in enthralling the audience, who now look forward to see more horror flicks by Nikhil Sablania. As for him, he already has several ready screenplays in hand and is waiting for a producer interested in making a good film. Guess we have another Ramgopla Verma or Manoj Night Shyamalan in the making!