RETURN

Hounded by loud muffled noises she struggles every night, trying to make sense out of the inaudible shrieks. Making desperate attempts, she tries everything in her power to find respite but the mysterious screeches only get louder, causing further anguish and exhaustion.
A deep helplessness grips at last and she resigns to conclude her life. As death stares in her face a moment of fearlessness dawns that unlocks the door to her redemption. The hounding noises come hurling back, this time distinctly audible, unravelling a world she left behind and needed to Return to, to find light.
A metaphorical narrative set in the backdrop of the dichotomy in the life of an urban independent woman gripped by her conformist yet compelling past in modern India. The film is an equivocal biography of the writer’s journey to accepting the darkness within.

  • Shruti Agrwal
    Writer
  • Shruti Agrwal
    Director
  • Shruti Agrwal
    Producer
  • Deepali Sharma
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Completion Date:
    October 6, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    12,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    Hindi
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Shruti Agrwal


Shruti Agrwal is a Woman Filmmaker based out Mumbai, India. She studied filmmaking at New York Film Academy, New York in 2006 and briefly dabbled in various aspects of filmmaking in the Indian Film Industry (popularly known as Bollywood) as a Writer, Assistant Director, an Actress and a Model. Having had a rather non-linear professional career that encompasses being a Jewelry designer for over 20 years in different parts of the world. In this span she pursued various other interests which includes a Pilot’s license from California, USA. Yet her deep longing for a fuller expression as an artist pulled her back to what she loved the most - Cinema.
RETURN is her first attempt as an independent filmmaker which she has also written & produced, a biographical sketch of her own long battle with anxiety and mental health of a modern Indian woman.
She aspires to make many more creative films in the future that highlight the universality in human emotions.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I am a woman filmmaker based out Mumbai, India. RETURN is my first attempt as an independent filmmaker which I have also written & produced - a biographical sketch of my own long battle with anxiety and mental health as a modern Indian woman. Using my personal example I have attempted to highlight the dichotomy of mind-sets of Urban India where women are battling conflicting identities of being considered independent and yet caught under the shackles of conservative upbringing, driven by strong invisible boundaries and crippling dependency on social validation.
What started as a small attempt to make a short creative film independently for social media, much to the disapproval of my surroundings, the film culminated into a full blown vfx project shot on Red dragon with 50 people crew! The idea of speaking on the mic was very intimidating considering I had never helmed anything on a shoot after my student film 12 years ago. Indeed a very ambitious film for a first timer.
What made the film more special and a personal milestone was that it was made twice over 2 and half years! Needless to say I did whole lot of multi-tasking (watching you tube videos) but it still was a very expensive project to self-fund!
A true labor of love.