Kaanch

Created as a DP - III Fiction project at the National Institute of Design under the mentorship of Dr. Shilpa Das, Kaanch (Glass) examines the silent emotional toll of work-family conflict on working mothers.

The narrative tracks Sarva (Zankhana Patel), who faces structural roadblocks at her corporate office while raising her young daughter Ani (Jenya Parmar). Rather than overt melodrama, the film finds its power in quiet daily frictions: rushing through morning routines, navigating corporate indifference, and the unspoken guilt of being perceived as self-centred or absent. The metaphor of glass runs throughout—connoting both the invisible barriers of professional life and the fragile equilibrium of home.

Serving as cinematographer, the visual strategy balanced cramped domestic realism with the kinetic energy of Ahmedabad’s public streets:

• Live Market Handheld: Filmed on location near Kagdi Bridge and local stationery markets without closing down public thoroughfares. Operating with a compact handheld package allowed the camera to weave through pedestrian crowds, keeping the focus tight on the mother-daughter dynamic.
• Reflections & Shallow Focus: Utilized shallow depth of field to isolate Sarva and Ani from distracting urban clutter. The framing made frequent use of reflective glass surfaces—shopfront displays, windowpanes, and mirrors—visually echoing the themes of transparency and emotional isolation.
• Available Light in Confined Interiors: Domestic apartment scenes relied heavily on natural window light and subtle practical fixtures, preserving soft skin tones and the unvarnished texture of an ordinary household.