When a famous fantasy writer suddenly dies, her eldest daughter embarks on a journey to decipher the veiled truths coded within her books, and uncovers the mystery of a dark criminal web spanning generations.
When Asha Dhillon, a reclusive and renowned fantasy writer, travels back to her remote village in Punjab, India and suddenly dies, her two daughters and young grandson are left with little answers. All that remains are the fragments of her unfinished fifth and final novel from the RAAKSHAS (Monsters) anthology. While Asha’s eldest daughter Saanvi is left with the immense task of putting her mother’s legacy to rest, she returns to her ancestral villages to discover that the novels are the veiled truth of the horrific past of her mother’s youth. As Saanvi’s son Cole, a young boy on the autistic spectrum, uncovers the ciphers within the novels, the lines between imagination and reality begin to blur as they both dive deep into Asha’s fantasy world. With the help of a local detective, who Saanvi becomes romantically involved with, Saanvi seeks justice for the crimes against Asha and the other survivors of the village. As she digs deeper, she discovers culprits still alive and a criminal ring cover-up spanning generations. Saanvi’s journey ultimately leads her to finish her mother’s epic fantasy series. RAAKSHAS is a one hour series that bends the genres of a mystery/detective story with fantasy. As Saanvi and Cole read the RAAKSHAS novels for clues, we delve deep into Naimishi, the dark and magical world Asha created. It becomes clear that the young protagonist of RAAKSHAS is autobiographical for Asha. Who were the monsters that were coming after this young girl, and where are they now?
SPACE Artists Residency 2022
