Udit Nijhawan On Sakhee: Intimacy, Identity, And The Power Of Seeing Between India And Hollywood

Following its world premiere at the 20th Tasveer South Asian Film Festival—the only Oscar®-qualifying South Asian film festival in the world—and ahead of its upcoming screening at DOC NYC, cinematographer and director Udit Nijhawan reflects on his latest film Sakhee. The short documentary offers a rare portrait of members of the kinnar (transgender) community in Barsana, India, exploring identity, resilience, and belonging.

The film recently received the Merit Award at the 2025 Awareness Film Festival in Santa Monica, honoring its contribution to social consciousness through visual storytelling.

Interviewer: Congratulations on Sakhee’s festival journey. What first drew you to this story?

Udit Nijhawan: Thank you. Sakhee came from a desire to engage with stories that exist at the edges of visibility yet reveal so much about us as a society. During Holi in Barsana—a small town in northern India—I witnessed a phenomenon where people from the queer community across rural India come to celebrate and express their identity. What struck me was the tension between devotion, performance, and defiance.

At its heart, Sakhee is about visibility—how we choose to see and be seen. I wanted the camera to witness that contradiction between ritual and reality, expression and acceptance.

Interviewer: The film feels painterly and grounded. Where does that sensitivity to image-making come from?

Udit Nijhawan: I think it goes back to where I began—painting. I grew up in a Himalayan boarding school and spent my free time making oil paintings. Later, studying design introduced me to foundational visual principles and the works of Caravaggio and Eggleston—their treatment of color and shadow stayed with me.

Over time, I worked on documentaries across South Asia, which led me to photography and journaling. I was influenced by Raghu Rai, Sally Mann, Todd Hido, and Stephen Shore—their blend of pictorialism and emotional truth shaped my approach. Even as I moved into fiction, I carried that instinct for evocative, truthful images.

I approach cinematography like painting—every frame about emotional density, not just composition. In Sakhee, I wanted the camera to breathe with the subjects, to let color and rhythm speak before dialogue does.

Interviewer: There’s an empathy that runs through your work—from The Price of Free to Flagged and Sakhee. How do you cultivate that?

Udit Nijhawan: Empathy begins with curiosity. My process is grounded in research, observation, and collaboration. With Sakhee, I spent time with the community before filming—understanding why they dress as they do, why makeup and performance are acts of both expression and armor.

When people sense that you’re there to listen rather than extract, the camera becomes a participant instead of an observer. That’s where intimacy grows.

Interviewer: Your visual style in Sakhee—natural light, handheld proximity, and restraint—feels intentional. How do you find that balance?

Udit Nijhawan: I’m drawn to minimalism. I use only what the story demands. That instinct comes from working in unpredictable environments across South Asia. For Sakhee, we shot mostly with available light. The pigments, the fabric, the air—all of it carried texture and emotion. My role was to shape what already existed rather than impose control. There’s beauty in imperfection when you let light fall where it wants.

Interviewer: How did AFI shape your filmmaking voice?

Udit Nijhawan: AFI’s MFA program sharpened my fiction work. Under Stephen Lighthill’s mentorship, I learned to view my documentary instincts not as a limitation but a strength. I began valuing my empathetic eye, my sensitivity to character, and my instinct to hold on a moment longer. Sakhee is a reflection of that balance—painterly nonfiction with emotional restraint.

Interviewer: Working between India and Hollywood, how do you keep your storytelling authentic?

Udit Nijhawan: The most personal stories are the most universal. My Indian upbringing—its colors, contradictions, and spiritual energy—continues to shape everything I shoot. Working

between India and Hollywood taught me to see both worlds as complementary. One offers depth of culture; the other, precision of craft. Authenticity travels further than translation ever can.

Interviewer: What do you hope audiences take away from Sakhee?

Udit Nijhawan: I hope they feel a quiet recognition—that beyond the color and ritual, there’s a shared human desire to be seen for who we are.

Udit Nijhawan is a cinematographer and director based in Los Angeles. His work has screened at Sundance, DOC NYC, and London Film Festival. He served as camera operator on the Emmy-nominated The Price of Free and as Director of Photography on Amazon’s Cinema Marte Dum Tak. His short Hidden Skin screened at Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) and Dancescreen. Sakhee continues his commitment to stories of empathy, visibility, and quiet resistance.