“Finally!” That has largely been the reaction of her co-stars and batchmates at Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) when Sayani Gupta told them about her directorial debut. The actor has turned writer, director, and producer with the upcoming short film, Aasmani.

Gupta always knew that her work in the movies would go beyond acting. “I had taken specialization in acting, but I was always interested in understanding how films were made. While studying [at FTII], I was doing well in other departments. In fact, I was very close to shifting from acting to direction. A lot of my directors and co-stars have asked me about when I would make a film because I’ve always been a filmmaker and not just an actor on a set,” she told mid-day.

After the pandemic, Gupta took some time off from her acting projects and wrote Aasmani. “I never thought I’d make a short film. I always thought I’d make a feature,” she smiled.

The short film is the first-time director’s homage to the strong women who raised her. She found another inspiring woman in Revathy, her leading lady. “I lucked out with her. She has worked with a lot of first-time directors, all of them women, and being a director herself, her understanding is top notch. Yet, she was like a student.”