There’s a rare kind of courage in empathetically witnessing another person’s erosion. Debutant director Karen Kshiti Suvarna aims to turn that courage into cinema with her film, September 21. The film is billed as an emotional drama centred around caregivers, whose labour is quiet, complex, and often invisible.
Priyanka Upendra plays the role of Kamala, a caregiver, in the film, and the makers unveiled her look on the actor’s birthday. Priyanka appears in a completely deglam role, portraying a woman who leaves her own life behind to tend to a 65-year-old man with Alzheimer’s, played by Pravin Singh Sisodia. Dialling down the melodrama, September 21 instead showcases the dignity in endurance. Kamala, pragmatic and fiercely human, steps in when the patient’s own family retreats. “This isn’t about the patient alone,” Karen says, adding, “It’s the caregivers who carry the real burden. The patient may not know; the caregiver never stops knowing.”
Karen recalls being drawn to the subject with instant conviction. “I saw faces, small moments that felt like memory slipping on film,” she explains. “I read and spoke to families. What struck me was how little India truly understands Alzheimer’s.” The filmmaker doesn't reveal much about the reasoning behind the title, and assures that it does hold immense significance.
The film features cinematography by Anil Kumar K, music by Vinay Chandra, and also stars Amit Bhel in a pivotal role. Supported by NFDC’s Work in Progress Lab, the project has Preety Ali (wife of Imtiaz Ali) on board as co-producer. Currently preparing for festival rounds, the team is eyeing a 2026 theatrical release. The Indian Association of Alzheimer’s Societies joins as an institutional partner, lending social depth and outreach.
Karen avoids sentimentality in the film, focusing instead on daily acts like washing, feeding, and remembering. The film hopes to position caregivers as someone with empathy and understanding, and not as a martyr that can be easily exalted and forgotten. “Caregiving is not a role. It is a life that demands you forget yourself so another can be remembered,” says Priyanka.
Building on Karen’s acclaimed short Hide & Seek (on schizophrenia), September 21 aims to amplify a conversation India rarely has.