Rish and Kanish Arhant-Sudhir are first-time filmmakers who bring the practice of masala to life in their new indie film, Namaslay. They take a bold swing at what may be the first yoga horror film, while also honouring the practice’s specific poses and spiritual roots through a unique new perspective.
The film follows Gayatari, nicknamed Tree, a young L.A. woman who feels lost and displaced from her Indian roots after recently losing her grandmother. A treasured role model, the older woman always reminded Tree that through yoga and steadfastness, she wouldn’t have to bend to anyone’s will and could, in turn, find her own individuality. When Tree’s friend Judy takes her to a local yoga studio, Vital Soul, Tree is thrown by how Western culture has taken the sacred practice of yoga and turned it into a front for false promises, expensive pants, and cliquey fake communities. Later, at an eerie Malibu wellness retreat, things take a supernatural turn, and Tree must invoke her grandmother’s teachings one more time to make it out alive.
That Shelf’s Andrew Roberts had a chance to sit down with the writer-directors to chat about their feature debut! Watch the interview below now:
Namaslay is now open in select Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa theatres.
