Shoojit Sircar, Vikramaditya Motwane To Present Varun Tandon’s Globally Acclaimed Thursday Special

Filmmakers Shoojit Sircar and Vikramaditya Motwane have come on board to present the Indian short film Thursday Special, by National Award-winning filmmaker Varun Tandon.

Headlined by Anubha Fatehpuria and Ramakanth Dayama, Thursday Special is a tender exploration of love, companionship, and change. It will be released on January 29 on the Humans of Cinema channel on YouTube.

The short has been produced by Karan Luthra and written by Tandon, with Krati Tandon as co-writer and executive producer.

About Thursday Special

The film revolves around Ram and Shakuntala, an aged couple bound by years of marriage, a shared love for food, and a cherished Thursday ritual.

After premiering at Mecal Pro, Barcelona, the film won over 25 awards across categories globally. These include Best Narrative Short at the New York Indian Film Festival, Best International Short Film at the Adelaide Independent Film Festival, and Best Narrative Short at the Tryon International Film Festival in the US.

The film was honoured with the Most Poetic Film Award, an award personally chosen by Emir Kusturica at the Küstendorf Film Festival 2025.

What Sircar, Motwane and Tandon said about Thursday Special

“Thursday Special really moved me with its simplicity and gentle storytelling,” said Sircar. It reminded him of his unreleased feature Shoe Bite, starring Amitabh Bachchan.

“Varun’s nuanced portrayal of companionship, ageing, and love is heartfelt and mature. It’s a delicately handled take on marriage and middle-age relationships—especially impressive for a young filmmaker—and it reminded me, in a way, of my unreleased film Shoe Bite,” he said, adding, “The storytelling in Thursday Special is clear and sincere, with every department serving the story. Knowing that Varun has made over 15 short films highlighted his passion and dedication, and I felt both he and the film deserved support.”

Motwane shared, “When I watched Thursday Special, I was struck by the fact that though all the stories we tell are human stories, we tend to forget that there are so many other stories out there in the mundane, and in the lives of people who you would not expect to have unique stories.”

On his decision to be the presenter, the Lootera director added, “I really enjoyed the film. I think people should see it, and they will like it. It’s a film that you can talk about and discuss and not just from an aesthetic perspective. While it’s beautifully directed and performed, it is truly special in terms of pure story, pure feeling.”

For Tandon, Thursday Special has been deeply personal, and it is a story that has stayed in his heart for years. “Thursday Special is a heartfelt portrayal of a couple whose lives revolve around their shared passion for food. Through their weekly tradition, we delve into their world and witness the intricate layers of their relationship,” said Tandon.