Every filmmaker hopes to leave a mark with their first project, and for Likith Kumar, that vision takes form in Vritta, a psychological thriller that doesn’t rely on big effects or scale. Instead, it delves into one character’s mind, drawing the audience into a world of suspense, silence, and escalating tension.

Vritta hits theatres on August 1. The story follows Siddharth, played by Maheer Mohiddin, a reclusive man whose life changes after a mysterious late-night call and a wrong turn. What follows is a confusing night that challenges his sense of reality, identity, and perception.

“Vritta means circle, but in the film, it represents more than just a circle. It’s about the loop of situations the main character finds himself in,” Likith explains. “One decision, one turn, leads a man into a series of strange, unexpected events. It’s a thriller told through a personal and psychological lens.”

Likith takes a unique risk by focusing on a single character, a choice not often made in cinema. “Almost 90 per cent of the screen time belongs to Siddharth,” he says. “The challenge was whether one actor could carry the weight of a psychological thriller. We believed he could. Even the camera behaves like a character, moving with him, observing him, and sometimes isolating him.”