Private Project

Asura - The Demon Within

Two sisters perform an inauspicious prayer to the anti-god Lord "Mautya". They ask of him a simple boon - that their mother’s soul be returned to her body so she may come back into their lives. Although the prayer seems to work, but every prayer has an offering.

  • Viren Shinde
    Director
    Luna, Fractal, Drink It, The Everyday Show
  • Viren Shinde
    Writer
    Luna, Fractal, Drink It, The Everyday Show
  • Viren Shinde
    Producer
    Luna, Fractal, Drink It, The Everyday Show
  • Vijaykumar Mirchandani
    Producer
    Blood Drive, Liv, Zoe, Dos Bros Force, Le Chant Des Fusils, Coming out with the help of a Time Machine, To Be Forgotten, Stranger in the Room, Red Rose, Divide Time To Breathe, The Last Jam Jar, Paese Che Vai, Love Can't Be Locked Down, The Process, Habaneros, Where The Streets Have No Name, They are No Less
  • Sangeeta Agrawal
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
    Amar Colony, Coming Out with the Help of a Time Machine
  • Sita Sarkar
    Key Cast
    "The Younger"
  • Pratigya Paudel
    Key Cast
  • Joshua Wann
    Director Of Photography
  • Meghan Shah
    Costumes
  • Sudeip Ghosh
    Background Score
    Blood Drive
  • Jamie Forslund
    Set Decoration, Location, Props
  • Vijaykumar Mirchandani
    Film Festival Strategist
  • Hieu Tran
    Gaffer
  • Hetali Shah
    Costumes Assistant
  • Alex Ventresca
    Production Assistant
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Horror, Suspense, South Asian
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 10, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    16mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Ocean City Film Festival
    Maryland
    United States
    March 6, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Chandler Film Festival
    Chandler
    United States
    January 26, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Himachal Short Film Festival
    Shimla
    India
    December 14, 2024
    Official Selection
  • West Bengal Short Film Festival
    Kolkata
    India
    November 9, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Goa Short Film Festival
    Goa
    India
    October 26, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Spooky Empire Horror Film Festival
    Orlando
    United States
    October 11, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Alibag Short Film Festival
    Mumbai
    India
    October 26, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Skate or Die Film Fest
    Philadelphia
    United States
    October 4, 2024
    Official Selection
  • First Glance Film Festival
    Philidelphia
    United States
    September 27, 2024
    Official Selection
  • International South Asian Film Festival Canada
    Vancouver
    Canada
    September 27, 2024
    Canada Premiere
    Official Selection
  • DC South Asian Film Festival
    Fairfax
    United States
    September 14, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Nepal American International Film Festival
    Maryland
    United States
    June 23, 2024
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Pune Short Film Festival
    Pune
    India
    June 3, 2024
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Viren Shinde

Viren Shinde is a writer and director based in Philadelphia, PA and strives to showcase his South Asian American heritage on screen. He has made six original short films that have been shown at festivals such as the Chicago South Asian Film Festival and the Austin Asian American Film Festival. Viren grew up watching movies from a variety of different industries. Hollywood taught him technique, Bollywood taught him drama, and Jackie Chan flicks taught him how to throw a punch on camera. When Viren is not filming, you can catch him in a cafe looking for a good Americano.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Asura was a film born out of two things. The first was my love of horror movies. The second was my desire to see horror movies from different cultures on screen. American horror films that depict religion are often based in Catholicism: holy water, upside-down crosses, biblical demons, etc. Growing up in a Hindu family, I always wanted to see horror films that pulled from my own religion. Hinduism has a vast mythology, and for its many gods, Hindu texts also make mention of several demons and anti-gods, or asuras. With this film, my goal was to take a simple premise that horror fans had seen before - a forbidden prayer or ritual - and present it using imagery they may not have seen before to leave them yearning for more South Asian horror films going forward.