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Meet Kerala's Sidharth Harikumar, finalist at Student Academy Awards

Entertainment

Sidharth Harikumar from Kerala is making waves with his film Vasu, which just reached the finals of the 2025 Student Academy Awards.
Made as his graduation project at MetFilm School Berlin, Vasu tells the story of a retired police officer dealing with trauma and guilt, all set against Kerala's backdrop.

The journey of 'Vasu'

Harikumar got the idea for Vasu while studying in Germany, drawing on lessons from Holocaust history and its tough moral questions.
He brought that inspiration back to Thiruvananthapuram, filming locally with actors like veteran Parameswaran Kuriyathi—and took on writing, directing, and cinematography himself.

From engineering to filmmaking

Starting out in engineering before switching gears to filmmaking (with two master's degrees along the way), Harikumar already has an award-winning short film under his belt.
With Vasu gaining international attention, he's now working on his first feature screenplay—proving it's never too late to chase what inspires you.