After creating a stir with his 2024 debut, Blink, director Srinidhi Bengaluru is back—this time joining hands with Deekshith Shetty, who makes his production debut with the adventure-horror film, titled Video. Staying true to his reputation for genre-bending storytelling, Srinidhi has set his sights on one of cinema’s most underused formats in Indian cinema: found footage.
“It’s been 12 years since 6-5=2 brought found-footage horror to Kannada screens,” Srinidhi explains. “There was one minor attempt after that, but it didn’t take off. Across India, this genre remains largely unexplored—maybe one film each in Malayalam and Tamil, and a handful in Hindi. It’s still uncharted territory.”
But Video isn’t a traditional found-footage experience. “We’ve used the ‘screenlife’ format—think C U Soon, Searching, or Control,” Srinidhi reveals. “Then the narrative evolves—it shifts into docu-drama, includes dramatised segments, and later, actual retrieved footage becomes central to the story. It’s a hybrid structure that helps us explore fear from different angles.”
A major coup for the film is roping in Sameer MD, the popular YouTuber known for his spine-chilling horror narrations. “We shot Sameer’s portions before his video on the Sowjanya case went viral,” says Srinidhi. “His credibility was already strong, and we knew he could anchor the film’s tone perfectly. Our target is college-goers and social media audiences—this hybrid structure and his presence bridge that gap.”
The teaser, which has garnered an overwhelming response, introduces five more characters, all of whom play content creators. “This digital-native tone defines both the aesthetic and the texture of Video,” Srinidhi notes. With a heavy emphasis on sound, the film focuses as much on what’s heard as what’s seen. “This genre doesn’t support traditional screenplay structures,” he says. “Events have to carry the story. I studied what worked—and more importantly, what didn’t—in other found-footage films. Our editing and narrative rhythm are unique.”
Featuring Bharath, Jeevan Shivakumar, Tejesh, Priya J Achar, Nalme Nachiyar, and Deekshith Shetty, Video is backed by Dhee Cinemas. Music is by Prasanna Kumar, cinematography by Avinash Shastri, and costumes by acclaimed designer Bharath Sagar, who also serves as executive producer.
With its climax shoot scheduled for June, Video is expected to release later this year. “With Video, we’re not just making a film—we’re experimenting with how fear feels when it’s ‘found’,” Srinidhi concludes.