Indian Debut Film Emerges from Highway Ghost Story

Filmmaker Yashasvi Juyal took an unconventional route with his debut feature, "The Ink Stained Hand and the Missing Thumb," opting to shoot the film entirely before seeking distribution.

The film, which has its premiere in the Proxima Competition at Karlovy Vary, is deeply personal, drawing supernatural elements from the folklore of the upper Himalayas, a region where Juyal grew up.

He describes encounters with the supernatural as common and natural, inspired by his grandmother's stories. The narrative is also grounded in reality, inspired by interviews with toll booth workers and the frequent accidents on North Indian highways.

Juyal’s own experiences, including observing infrastructure changes and witnessing a truck crash into a booth, contributed to the film's themes of transit and people caught between worlds. Humor is intentionally woven into the narrative as a key tool for character development.

Influences for Juyal include filmmakers Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Scott Barley, as well as documentary filmmaker Shaunak Sen, whose work inspired Juyal to pursue his own filmmaking ambitions.

Funding for the project was secured in stages after the initial shoot, with support from various grants and programs, including the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity and the Red Sea Film Foundation. These opportunities, alongside mentorships, helped bring the film to completion.