Nila Madhab Panda”s Spying Stars set for its Gala premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India

Mumbai:9/11/25:The journey continues. After a wonderful world premiere at Busan, Spying Stars is now set for its Gala premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa.

The film, produced by Nila Madhab Panda, Vincent Wang’s House on Fire, and National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka Productions, is directed by Vimukthi Jayasundara. The film received backing from the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund, and is supported by France’s CNC – Aide aux Cinemas du Monde fund and Taiwan Creative Content Agency’s Taiwan International co-funding program. It was shot around the hills of central Sri Lanka in October 2024.

The film revolves around Anandi, a bioengineer, who comes back to Earth after spending years in space. But soon after arriving, she’s sent to a quiet mountain resort to be quarantined because of a fast-spreading virus called illvibe. Though the resort is beautiful and fancy, Anandi notices strange things—hidden cameras, a UFO heading toward the Earth, and people in the town disappearing or dying without any clear reason. Her sadness grows when her father’s ashes arrive, showing he also died from the virus. One day, Anandi runs away into the forest and finds shelter with Nita, a resort worker who had been secretly watching her, and Nita’s mother. As she spends time with them, away from the rest of the world, Anandi slowly starts to heal from her grief.

The director’s signature restrained dialogue and poetic imagery are suddenly interrupted by nerve-wracking sounds, the severing of body parts, and scenes of kidnapping and violence, which heighten tension. At the same time, by interweaving the mysterious ritual of invoking the dead and the recurring image of a turtle’s stroll, the film twists the conventions of the sci-fi genre and invites viewers into a cinematic experience both beautiful and enigmatic.

Renowned for his work on more gaudily-hued mainstream TV (such as the Netflix series Dabba Cartel), DP Eeshit Narain proves his versatility by matching Jayasundara’s melancholia with a visual palette drenched in inky greens. Roman Dymny’s sound design also plays a significant role in evoking nature at both its most ominous and glorious: there’s hardly a need to spy the stars when Planet Earth looks so intriguing and engaging.

Director, screenwriter: Vimukthi Jayasundara
Producers: Nila Madhab Panda, Vincent Wang
Executive producers: Nayomi Apsara, Anuj Tyagi
Cast: Indira Tiwari, Hidaayath Hazeer, Kaushalya Fernando
Director of photography: Eeshit Narain
Editor: Saman Alvitigala
Production designer: Nuwan Sanurankha
Costume designer: Ama Wijesekara
Music composer: Alokananda Dasgupta
Sound designer: Roman Dymny
Production companies: House on Fire, Eleeanora Images