THE SOUL WHISPERER Starring Dileesh Pothan to Premiere at Busan Film Festival

The Malayalam-language feature Chevittorma, also known as The Soul Whisperer in English, written and directed by Leo Thaddeus and starring Dileesh Pothan and Pauly Valsan, will have its World Premiere at the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in South Korea.

The film has been selected for 'A Window on Asian Cinema,' BIFF's non-competitive section that showcases new and notable works by filmmakers from across Asia.

The 31st Busan International Film Festival will be held from October 6 to 15, 2026, at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea.

Set in the hills of Kerala, The Soul Whisperer is a meditative drama about death, faith, memory and the possibility of redemption. At its heart is Theresia, a woman known for sitting beside the dying and whispering prayers believed to guide their souls peacefully towards death. When she is summoned to the ancestral home of a powerful landlord awaiting his final moments, what begins as a ritual vigil gradually becomes an unsettling confrontation with buried memories and unresolved histories.

The lead actor Dileesh Pothan says 'The Soul Whisperer is a very different experience from the films I have been part of before. Varkichan is a character who exists in a space between life and death, and much of what he carries is unspoken. What drew me to the film was Leo's sensitivity in approaching the story and his willingness to let silence, stillness and performance speak for themselves. I am particularly happy that the film is having its World Premiere at Busan. For an independent Malayalam film like this, to find a home at such an important festival is both an honour and an encouragement.'

Leo Thaddeus, Writer & Director says, 'Making The Soul Whisperer was an attempt to step away from the pace and conventions of mainstream cinema and explore a more intimate, patient form of storytelling. The film began with a simple question: what happens when death refuses to arrive, and a family is forced to remain in that moment of waiting? From there, the story became about memory, guilt, faith and the possibility of redemption. Having the film premiere at Busan, particularly in 'A Window on Asian Cinema', is deeply meaningful to me. It gives this very intimate story from Kerala an opportunity to travel beyond its geographical and cultural boundaries and connect with audiences in another part of Asia.'

The producers Stephen Zacharias, Aditya Grover & Harsh Agarwal add, 'We came to The Soul Whisperer because we believed in the story Leo wanted to tell and in the power of giving a filmmaker the freedom to make that story on his own terms. The film is an independent production, but it brings together some of the finest talent from Malayalam mainstream cinema alongside an international creative team. To see that journey culminate in a World Premiere at the Busan International Film Festival is incredibly rewarding. Busan has a long-standing commitment to discovering and celebrating distinctive voices from Asian cinema, and we are delighted that Soul Whisperer will begin its journey with audiences there.'

Logline

A woman known for guiding the dying through whispered prayers is summoned to the home of a powerful landlord, where death refuses to come and buried memories begin to surface, unsettling the family and the past she thought she had left behind.

Synopsis

In the hills of Kerala, Theresia is known for a solemn calling — she sits beside the dying and whispers prayers believed to guide the soul peacefully to its end.

She is invited to the ancestral home of Varkichan, a powerful landlord lying unconscious after a sudden illness. As his relatives gather and prepare for his passing, death does not arrive. Days turn into an uneasy wait, and the stillness inside the house begins to shift.

Old tensions surface. Forgotten memories return. And Theresia begins to sense that her presence in the house is not accidental.

As Varkichan drifts between life and death, the past slowly reveals itself, forcing both of them to confront what was left unresolved.

An Independent Film Bringing Together Established Mainstream Talent

The Soul Whisperer is an independent production that brings together an accomplished team of actors and technicians with extensive experience in Malayalam and Indian mainstream cinema.

The film is produced by Stephen Zacharias, Aditya Grover and Harsh Agarwal, who have previously produced Nirvana Inn and Rapture, along with Lokan Raveendran, Jacob Zacharias and Sajan Balan.

Director Leo Thaddeus, known for his work on commercial Malayalam cinema, makes his transition to independent filmmaking with Soul Whisperer.

The film's technical team includes cinematographer Swaroop Shanker, with colour grading by Rob Lang. Production designer Joseph Nellickal is known for films including Bheeshma Parvam, while make-up artist Ronex Xavier has worked on acclaimed films including Kantara, Manjummel Boys and Kumbalangi Nights.

The film also marks an international collaboration, with French-based filmmaker and editor Carlo Francisco Manatad editing the film. Manatad edited Tiger Stripes, winner of the Grand Prize at Cannes Critics' Week, and Soul Whisperer marks his first Indian feature.

The film's music is composed by Iranian composer Milad Movahedi, known for his work on Critical Zone. Movahedi composed the score during a period of conflict in Iran, bringing an additional layer of contemporary international experience to the film's soundscape.

Director's Statement

The Soul Whisperer is a film about waiting — waiting for death, waiting for forgiveness, and waiting for the past to reveal itself.

In many parts of Kerala, death is not only a private moment but also a ritual shared by the family and the community. I was interested in exploring what happens when this ritual is interrupted, when death does not come as expected.

Theresia represents a bridge between the living and the dying. She enters homes at their most vulnerable moment, carrying faith, silence and memory. Through her presence, the film slowly uncovers the hidden emotional history of a family that believed time had erased its past.

I wanted the film to move slowly and patiently, allowing the audience to feel the weight of time inside the house. The stillness, the pauses and the quiet moments are important because they reflect the emotional state of characters trapped between life and death.

The film also draws from the Christian rituals and cultural traditions of Kerala, where prayer, faith and guilt often exist side by side. For me, Soul Whisperer is not only about death, but about the possibility of redemption that can appear even in the final moments of life.'

Actor Profiles

Dileesh Pothan, one of the most respected figures in contemporary Malayalam cinema, brings his considerable experience as an actor, director and producer to the film. As a director, Pothan made Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2016) and Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017), both of which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam, followed by Joji (2021), for which he received the Kerala State Film Award for Best Director.

As an actor, he has appeared in more than 60 films, including Ee.Ma.Yau., Rifle Club and Ronth. He also co-founded Bhavana Studios with screenwriter Syam Pushkaran and actor Fahadh Faasil, a production and distribution banner associated with films including Kumbalangi Nights, Joji, Thankam and Premalu.

In The Soul Whisperer, Pothan plays Varkichan, the powerful landlord whose prolonged vigil becomes the emotional centre of the film.

Pauly Valsan, one of Malayalam cinema's most distinctive character actors, takes on her first leading role as Theresia. Valsan began performing in Malayalam theatre as a child in the 1970s before making her screen debut in 2008. She has since built an acclaimed body of work across theatre and cinema. She won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Character Actress in 2017 for Ee.Ma.Yau. and Ottamuri Velicham, and the Kerala State Award for Best Dubbing Artist in 2022.

In The Soul Whisperer, she steps into her first lead role as Theresia — a woman whose quiet presence becomes the catalyst for confronting a family's buried past.

Film Details

Title: The Soul Whisperer

Language: Malayalam

Duration: 93 minutes

Writer & Director: Leo Thaddeus

Cast: Dileesh Pothan, Pauly Valsan, Jeo Baby and others

Producers: Stephen Zacharias, Aditya Grover, Harsh Agarwal, Lokan Raveendran, Jacob Zacharias

Cinematography: Swaroop Shanker

Editor: Carlo Francisco Manatad

Music: Milad Movahedi

Colour: Rob Lang

Production Design: Joseph Nellickal

Make-up: Ronex Xavier

World Premiere: 31st Busan International Film Festival

Section: A Window on Asian Cinema

Festival Dates: October 6–15, 2026

Venue: Busan Cinema Center, Busan, South Korea

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