Kiran Manral and Sidharth Jain

On Saturday, they have organised a panel discussion titled I See Dead People, which will bring together a talented group of writers to discuss horror writing in India. “We want to share with our audience the kind of writing we do, which has moved a long way from the Ramsay Brothers’ depiction of horror. We also want to highlight women writing horror — what kind of horror do we like to write? Is there more focus on psychological horror? Do we like to include gore?” explains author Kiran Manral, who is one of the panelists.

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She adds that horror writers have been making a valiant effort to get their work out, pointing to the Indian chapter of the Horror Writers’ Association, which is headed by Neil D’Silva (another panelist). “Indian readers have always been reading horror. We’ve all read novels by Stephen King, for instance. But Indian authors don’t get the same kind of attention. It’s always great to read stories that are set in our own socio-cultural milieu, without resorting to hackneyed tropes such as the chudail or dayan,” Manral says.

Sidharth Jain, chief storyteller and producer at The Story Ink, who will be on the panel of Scream Queens on Sunday, reveals, “We will explore the challenges that filmmakers in this genre face, including budgets and major film actors not being cast in such films.” He is hopeful about the future of horror in India, with the rise of OTT platforms. “Horror represents an excellent opportunity for younger storytellers. We have to make it relevant from a contemporary frame of reference,” he concludes. You can browse through this year’s curation of 44 films on the website, and tune in to the panel discussions on the festival’s Facebook page. 

Till March 14 
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