Suparn S. Varma Champions a New Wave of Indian Indie Cinema with Flames’ Asian Premiere

After the success of ‘Haq’, Suparn S Varma is widening his cinematic footprint - stepping beyond the director’s chair to champion bold, uncompromising new voices. His latest move is presenting filmmaker Ravi Shankar Kaushik’s survival thriller ‘Flames’, which just had its Asian Premiere at the prestigious Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival 2025.

Shot against the textured farmlands of northern India, ‘Flames’ marks a powerful evolution in the rooted, emotionally charged storytelling Varma has long stood for. The filmmaker, who recently delivered the Yami Gautam-Emraan Hashmi starrer ‘Haq’ and helmed the acclaimed second season of ‘The Family Man’, has now stepped into the role of curator and amplifier for films that strike as deeply as they resonate.

Billed as a tense, bruising and devastating feature, ‘Flames’ is an intimate portrait of a family pushed to the edge. Frontlined by Vikram Kochhar (‘Boong’, ‘No Land’s Man’) and a striking ensemble of non-actors from Haryana’s villages of Jatauli and Lohari, the film pulses with raw authenticity and a lived-in rural texture.

For debutant director Ravi Shankar Kaushik - himself hailing from Haryana - ‘Flames’ began as something deeply personal but found its true form when artists like Varma believed in his vision. The film is produced by Suparn S Varma, Rashi Aggarwal, Suunil Jaiin, Aditya Joshi (‘Phule’) and Shivam Gupta (‘Songs of the Forgotten Trees’), with IT professionals Jasdev Singh and Arpita Raghuwanshi serving as co-producers.

Speaking about the film’s emotional power, Suparn shared, “‘Flames’ is a very visceral film - it resonated with me so deeply. The themes it tackles and the way it is told feel like a gut punch. I had to back Ravi’s vision and take it to the world so audiences can experience the power of this story. It’s crafted so beautifully and performed so truthfully - it’s a very special piece of art. Beyond directing, I want to support filmmakers creating great cinema and help present their films to the world. It’s important to give a leg up to storytellers whose work deserves to be seen. I plan to use all my power and goodwill to take such films to the biggest platforms possible.”