Theme and Idea
I started this project with the primary aim of creating an environment and visual style that felt uniquely Indian while still belonging to the realms of sci-fi and fantasy. Indian futurism is rarely explored visually, and I wanted to experiment with how our geography, architecture, myths, and textures could become part of a speculative, surreal world.
During the first week, I explored multiple story ideas, fragments, images, and moments that could anchor this goal of building an Indian sci-fi aesthetic. Out of all the concepts, the one that stayed with me was a simple idea: a hidden treasure inside a stepwell. It felt grounded in Indian history and culture, yet mysterious enough to push into fantasy and surrealism.
Research
To develop the visuals, I began researching the architecture of stepwells (or baoris) built across Rajasthan. These were not just water-storage structures; they were intricate works of engineering, carved deep into the earth, symbolising both survival and beauty in harsh desert climates.
Since it was close to my hometown, over the summer break I visited the Chand Baori. It is a historic 9th-century stepwell in the village of Abhaneri, Rajasthan, India. It is one of the largest and deepest stepwells in the world, with approximately 3,500 steps descending 13 storeys to a depth of about 100 feet (30 metres). Historically, it served as a water source, a community gathering place, and a cooling structure.
I discovered connections that enriched the story world: research on the ancient, lost Saraswati River mentioned in the Rigveda, believed to have once flowed beneath the Thar desert; and scientific findings of marine fossils from the Jurassic period embedded in the Jaisalmer basin. These were not hard-found evidence rather just rumours and incomplete research that guided my concept.
(Soruce: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati_River)
(Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/science/discovery-of-marine-fossils-suggests-jaisalmer-desert-was-a-sea-47-million-years-ago/story-Sia9gCieQ2raXNRuJ7yzCO.html)
These pieces of history, a vanished river, buried sea life, and the monumental architecture built to capture water, all hinted at a landscape with forgotten secrets beneath the sand. They organically shaped the tone of the project, blending natural history with myth, science with imagination, and grounding the film’s fantasy in real Indian geography and cultural memory.