At a time when storytelling is moving beyond traditional formats filmmaker and author K. Srikanth has taken an unusual route with A Song for Eresha by releasing the project simultaneously as a novel and a feature film.
The atmospheric drama which is already streaming internationally and finding readers across India reflects a growing shift in how audiences engage with stories today across books OTT platforms and visual storytelling spaces. Deeply rooted in emotional restraint silence and mood the project explores the same world through two distinct mediums while remaining connected at its core.
In this conversation with Srikanth speaks about building a story that could exist beyond one format balancing the roles of writer and filmmaker and why quieter storytelling continues to resonate in an increasingly fast paced entertainment landscape.
Q. A Song for Eresha has launched simultaneously as both a novel and a feature film. What was the thinking behind introducing the story across two formats at the same time
The decision came very organically from the nature of the story itself. From the beginning A Song for Eresha felt like a world that could exist across more than one medium. Some emotions unfold beautifully through language and introspection while others come alive visually through atmosphere sound and performance.
The novel allows readers to sit with the characters internally and experience their emotional world in a deeply personal way. The film meanwhile translates those same emotions into something visual and immersive. Releasing them together felt less like adapting one into the other and more like offering audiences two complementary ways of entering the same emotional landscape.
Q. As both the writer and director how did you maintain a consistent voice across the book and the film while still allowing each to feel complete in its own way
For me consistency came from staying rooted in the emotional core of the story rather than trying to replicate every detail across formats. Since I was involved in both the writing and directing process it allowed me to keep the tone emotional rhythm and character perspectives aligned.
At the same time I was conscious that literature and cinema communicate differently. The novel leans heavily into interiority atmosphere and reflection. It spends more time inhabiting silence and emotional nuance. The fictional town of Azhagankarai inspired by the Muthupet marshlands in Tamil Nadu also becomes an important emotional presence within the book itself.
The film approaches the same world differently. It relies more on mood visual texture performance pacing and silence. So while both versions belong to the same emotional universe each medium expresses it in its own language.
Q. How would you describe the difference in audience experience between reading the novel and watching the film
Reading the novel is a much more intimate and interpretive experience. Readers enter the world gradually and imagine it in their own way. They absorb emotions internally and at their own pace.
Cinema is more immediate and sensory. The film guides viewers through a curated emotional journey where atmosphere music silence and performance shape the experience collectively.
What interested me creatively was how differently the same emotional world could resonate depending on the medium. Someone who reads the book first may experience the film very differently and vice versa.
Q. The film is already streaming internationally on platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV. How important was global visibility at this stage of the release
Global visibility was important from very early on because I’ve always believed that stories rooted in local cultures can still resonate universally. Emotional experiences travel beyond geography.
Releasing the film internationally through platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV allowed it to reach audiences outside traditional regional boundaries and establish an early global presence.
At the same time this has also been part of my larger creative journey for years now. Since 2010 my work across stage dance theatre productions and short films has consistently attempted to take Indian artistic and cultural narratives to international audiences. A Song for Eresha continues that journey but this time across both literature and cinema simultaneously.
Q. With the release expected in India what are your plans in terms of distribution and promotions for both the book and the film
The India rollout is being approached as a shared cultural experience rather than two separate campaigns. The intention is to create conversations around the story as a whole instead of dividing audiences into literary and cinematic spaces.
The promotional strategy is largely digital first and will include media conversations editorial features trailers excerpts and collaborations that bridge both mediums. We want audiences to engage with the project in whichever format feels natural to them.
The book is being released globally by Cogitabund a sister concern of Booksthakam and is available in paperback hardcover audiobook and eBook formats. The film has already seen a European release through Bitmax and is also scheduled for release in the United States and Canada through ES Motion Pictures Los Angeles.
Together these parallel releases are helping create a wider global and Indian presence for the project.
Q. Are you approaching the India launch differently given the country’s unique mix of literary and cinematic audiences
Absolutely. India has a very strong emotional relationship with both literature and cinema and that naturally changes the way we approach the release here.
The communication strategy is designed to highlight the uniqueness of experiencing the same story across two different mediums. Some people may discover the project through the film while others may connect with it first as a book.
What excites me most is the possibility of audiences moving between both experiences and discovering how differently each medium reveals the same emotional world.
Q. What kind of promotional strategy are you envisioning Will it lean more towards traditional book tours film promotions or a hybrid of both
It is very much a hybrid approach because the project itself exists in two spaces simultaneously.
The campaign draws from traditional literary promotions such as author conversations readings and excerpts while also incorporating film led promotions through trailers visual campaigns interviews and streaming visibility.
The idea is not to market the book and film separately but to create one cohesive identity around the project as a whole.
Q. Early responses highlight the film’s restrained and atmospheric tone. Was this a conscious choice from the writing stage itself
Yes very much so. The story naturally lent itself to subtlety and emotional restraint rather than overt dramatization. I’ve always been drawn to quieter emotional spaces where silences often say more than dialogue.
That sensibility shaped both the novel and the film from the very beginning. In the cinematic version especially it translated into an emphasis on mood pacing stillness and performance allowing emotions to emerge gradually rather than forcefully.
In many ways that restraint has also become a defining aspect of my broader creative voice over the years.
Q. What kind of response or engagement are you hoping to see from Indian audiences once both the book and film release here
More than anything I hope audiences engage with the project thoughtfully and personally. This is not a story built around spectacle or instant gratification. It invites reflection and interpretation.
Whether someone connects through the book the film or both I hope the emotional experience stays with them beyond the immediate moment. For me meaningful engagement has always mattered more than quick reactions.
About the Filmmaker
K. Srikanth is a filmmaker writer and theatre practitioner whose work spans literature short films and stage productions. Known for his atmospheric and emotionally restrained storytelling style his work often explores deeply human narratives rooted in Indian cultural and geographical landscapes while remaining globally resonant. Since 2010 his creative work has travelled internationally across film and theatre spaces.
About A Song for Eresha
A Song for Eresha is a literary and cinematic project released simultaneously as both a novel and a feature film. Set in the fictional town of Azhagankarai inspired by the Muthupet marshlands of Tamil Nadu the story unfolds through an atmospheric and introspective lens exploring silence memory and emotional nuance. The book is currently available globally in paperback hardcover audiobook and eBook formats while the film is streaming internationally ahead of its India release.
