In Yash Saraf’s audacious allegory Moti, the everyday abruptly gives way to the impossible. A family pet’s overnight transformation into a human boy becomes a potent metaphor for our disorienting times, where radical change arrives without warning or consent. Shot with unmistakable affection for Kolkata’s textured landscapes, the film follows Moti’s journey as scientific rationality crumbles against inexplicable magic. Against shifting political and social landscapes, Saraf examines how we struggle to preserve our essential nature when everything familiar dissolves. His deft navigation between absurdist comedy and emotional resonance creates a uniquely Bengali exploration of what remains of our humanity when the world transforms beyond recognition – and how we might still find meaning within the chaos.
Yash Saraf
Yash Saraf is an Indian filmmaker from Kolkata. He graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Russian literature. Yash was an assistant writer for the Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sooni Taraporevala (Salaam Bombay, Namesake) and Anand Gandhi (Ship of Theseus, Tumbadd). Yash is also a stage actor and has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK. Aside from filmmaking, Yash has worked as a teacher and arts educator in Mumbai, Kolkata, and New Delhi. Moti is his debut short film, which was originally conceived as a children’s play for an educational arts collective (Katkatha Repertory, New Delhi).
