KASHISH is back with another celebration of queer cinema! One of the most interesting things about KASHISH Pride Film Festival is its collection of short films centring on queer themes. This year’s Indian Narrative Shorts in Competition take us from Himalayan school stages and family Scrabble games to hidden romances, unexpected connections and moments of queer self-discovery. Whether you’re looking for something tender, funny, bittersweet or quietly radical, these are the films worth adding to your KASHISH watchlist.
Dir. Shrey Leena Shah | Duration: 9 mins | 2025
A trans man moves through a cisnormative world that keeps misreading him, finding small affirmations as he works towards acceptance in everyday life. It is a restrained, quietly evocative film about perception and identity, and the distance between how we are seen and who we know ourselves to be.
What’s interesting for me: I’m curious to see how this film explores trans masculinity through daily life, highlighting experiences that are often overlooked in mainstream storytelling.
2. Nisha
Dir. Kris R | Duration: 30 mins | 2025
Nisha, a Bangalorean in her late twenties, is trying to get over a long, intense relationship with her ex, Nidhi. With dry humour, good friends and a run of terrible dating-app matches, she edges back into the dating scene, awkwardly and surprisingly honestly. Then MJ turns up: thoughtful, genuine, someone who actually sees her. But Nisha is still tangled up in Nidhi, and can’t quite let herself reciprocate.
What’s interesting for me: I’m drawn to how the film uses Bangalore’s queer dating scene as a backdrop for a story about heartbreak, second chances and the often messy process of moving on.
Dir. Shubham Negi | Duration: 24 mins | 2025
At a school in the Himalayas, Sachin is bullied for cross-dressing in a folk dance performance. Anju, the school’s middle-aged vice principal, steps in to help, only for the situation to unravel more than she expects. As the two of them quietly carry their own secrets, their lives begin to intertwine into a bond neither can name but both seem to need.
What’s interesting for me: I feel the Himalayan setting offers a perspective on queer experiences that goes beyond the metro-city narratives we see on screen.
Dir. Inzamam Manju Nizam | Duration: 27 mins | 2026
Trapped in a loveless marriage to her domineering husband Raghu, homemaker Ammu moves through her days with quiet resignation, in a house where even food becomes a tool of control. She finds unexpected solace in Pathu, her neighbour, who happens to be the wife of Raghu’s rival. Through small dishes passed quietly across the boundary between their homes, Pathu offers Ammu the warmth and care her own home withholds.
What’s interesting for me: By focusing on neighbourly bonds and domestic spaces, the film looks at how intimacy can emerge in unexpected spaces.
Dir. Vinoo Choliparambil | Duration: 15 mins | 2025
Every Sunday, Jo and her traditional family gather for their beloved Scrabble ritual, all chatter and easy comfort. This Sunday, though, Jo uses the board to spell out a truth about herself: that she is a lesbian.
What’s interesting for me: A coming-out story built around a Scrabble board is exactly the kind of clever, nerve-wracking queer premise we love.
Dir. Bhavya Karthikeyan | Duration: 25 mins | 2026
In 1970s Kozhikode, Zuhra and Nila run an independent publication in secret, working out of their neighbouring houses. When a letter arrives for Zuhra, it puts both the work and the life they have built together at risk. The film reaches for stories usually pushed to the margins, holding onto their joy while asking whose voices history chose to leave out.
What’s interesting for me: A period drama centred on two women creating their own space and platform, especially in the 70s, feels compelling in a lineup largely set in the present day.
Dir. Sneha Singh and Faizan Shah | Duration: 11 mins | 2026
An anonymous connection sparked by a forgotten diary opens into a quiet study of queer friendship, honesty and emotional courage.
What’s interesting for me: The film takes something deeply personal, a diary, and turns it into a starting point for an unexpected connection between two people.
If you’re building your KASHISH watchlist, these shorts are a great place to start. Get your tickets NOW!
