Guwahati: Sikkim’s forests, mountains and folklore take centre stage in the newly released trailer of Bokshi, an Indian folk-horror film shot extensively across the state and set against the region’s myths and landscapes.
The film is slated for a nationwide theatrical release on October 9.
The trailer follows Anahita, a troubled teenager played by Prasanna Bisht, whose school expedition into the mountains leads her to a mysterious site. What begins as an unconventional trek soon takes a darker turn as she discovers links between the site, an ancient legend and Bokshi, a feared figure rooted in local folklore.
Dense forests, rituals and supernatural elements dominate the trailer, with Sikkim’s landscape forming an integral part of the film rather than serving merely as a backdrop.
Mansi Multani plays Shalini, Anahita’s mysterious history teacher, whose connection with the expedition adds another layer to the unfolding mystery.
Director-producer Bhargav Saikia and writer-executive producer Harsh Vaibhav spent nearly three years travelling through Sikkim and researching the region before taking the film into production.
The film was shot over an 80-day schedule across East and West Sikkim and around Gangtok. Several artists from the state are also part of the cast, including Trishala Tamang, Biru Tamang, Avishek Lama, Prabhat Pakhrin, Bhasker Pradhan and Yangnim Subba.
Sikkim-based line producer Timoti Rai worked with the filmmakers for several years during the research, planning and production of the project.
The film has also drawn attention from filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who shared the trailer on Instagram and expressed his enthusiasm for the project.
For Saikia and Vaibhav, the October release has particular significance for audiences in Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills, where the project developed through years of travel and research.
Before its Indian theatrical release, Bokshi was screened at international film festivals, taking its story rooted in the region’s mountains and folk traditions to audiences outside India.
The October 9 release will now bring the film back to the landscape that helped shape its story, with audiences in Sikkim set to see their familiar mountains and forests at the centre of a supernatural thriller.