The complex history of Hinduism is the theme of the mystery thriller Padmavyuha. The film follows the dedicated and outspoken religious studies Professor Shaki Ramdas (Nikhil Prakash) who receives a mysterious phone call. An unidentified voice tells him that a prominent journalist has gone missing, an obscure religious symbol left at the scene of disappearance. His interest piqued, Professor Ramdas follows up with the case Detective Mark King (Ross Turner), who at first is skeptical of Professor Ramdas but grows to trust him and value his inputs.
The duo discovers a series of religious puzzles and uncover a growing conspiracy designed to silence nonbelievers. As the Professor digs deeper, he finds himself descending the dark staircase of his own fractured psyche, beginning to question his own views on religion. As he untangles the final puzzle and discovers the true villain, Professor Ramdas finds his religious worldviews transformed – discovering a shocking, newfound purpose.
Filmmaker Raj Krishna makes his directorial debut after producing several award-winning shorts and documentaries, including Knock Knock Knock (directed by Sudhanshu Saria, winner of Best Screenplay at the New York Indian Film Festival) and The Reunited States (directed by Ben Rekhi, screening at Cinequest and the United Nations Association Film Festival this fall) Reaction to the film has been mixed, the point where Krishna removed the trailer after crew members were attacked and harassed by right-wing trolls for targeting Hinduism, but Raj wants to ensure that his film explores the beauty of Hinduism, and the intention is to shine a light on the rich mythology associated with it.
Fresh from its world premiere at the 2020 International Indian Film Festival of Toronto (IIFFT), Padmavyuha will be hitting the film festival circuit this Fall beginning with the North Carolina South and East Asian Hollywood Film Festival (NCISAFF) on September 12th. It also features at the HorrorHound Film Festival on September 18th and the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival on October 2nd.
The film will screen this at the following film festivals:
September 12th – North Carolina South and East Asian Hollywood Film Festival (NCISAFF)
September 18th – September 20th, 2020 – HorrorHound Film Festival
October 1st – October 10th, 2020 – Silicon Valley Asia Pacific FIlmFest
October 16th – October 18th, 2020 – Show Low – White Mountains Arizona Film Festival
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