Anoop Lokkur’s intimately profound Kannada film Don’t Tell Mother is equal parts mundane and meaningful. What begins as a trove of memoria from a bygone era, steadily conjures up into the undertow that looks at patriarchy straight in the eye. Set in 1990s Bengaluru, the narrative is centred on a young mother, who in the prime of her life is raising her two little boys, while the father continues as the provider of the household. A coming-of-age drama, Don’t Tell Mother had its world premiere at the 30th Busan International Film Festival in September 2025. Bengaluru-born Anoop – who has written, directed and co-produced Don’t Tell Mother – marks his feature debut with this film. The story draws inspiration from his own childhood days spent in the city.
A tenderly aching portrait of innocence, disquiet empathy and healing, the 88-minute film earnestly documents the everyday meanderings of a mischievous nine-year-old boy, Akash. He secretly endures corporal punishment at the hands of his strict math teacher in school, but is hesitant to confide in his parents. On the other hand, for his little brother Adi, munching on cashews is the highpoint of the day. Dotted with vignettes of old-time Bangalore, the movie maintains a subtle tone throughout, without underplaying its central themes. The narrative tugs at your heartstrings with its simple joys, while also highlighting childhood silences and the deep-seated impact of patriarchy in middle-class families through generations. Camerawork for Don’t Tell Mother is handled by Matthew Jenkins.
In a candid conversation with The Movie Mail, Melbourne-based filmmaker Anoop – who is also known for his short films Long Distance and The Laundromat – opened up about the making of the film, its semi-autobiographical script, finding the right actors for every character, and more. Excerpts:
Q. Don’t Tell Mother calls attention to the mundane – be it a place or human emotions. What do make of it when people say that they resonate with the film?
A. It’s interesting to know everybody’s perspective on the film. Even during the film’s world premiere in Busan last month, we met people who resonated with the narrative. The story is culturally rooted in Bengaluru (especially South Bangalore). So, to see people from different parts of India and the world connecting with it is rewarding.
Q. You managed to get some impeccable actors for the film – be it little Adi or amma, everyone is on point. Tell us about the casting process…
A. The lead cast members – comprising Akash (Siddarth Swaroop), Adi (Anirudh P Keserker), Aishwarya Dinesh (amma) and Karthik Nagarajan (appa) – were all recommended by casting director Anita Mithra. We did a lot of auditions before zeroing in on these actors. For me, the process was interesting in a lot of ways, even though I had to move from Melbourne to Bengaluru during the pandemic to work on this movie. The production began when things started reopening after the lockdown. However, major parts of the audition were done over Zoom, and that can be a bit complicated, as there’s always a difference between how an actor appears in-person and online.
That said, Aishwarya and Karthik looked perfect for their respective roles from Day 1. Anirudh, on the other hand, was taken in at the last minute. We actually wanted someone even younger than him. But it was difficult to find an actor so young who can bring out Adi’s innocence and temperament on screen. Also, Anirudh’s elder brother has acted in the Amazon Prime Video series Half Pants Full Pants. So, he did have a bit of a prior exposure to filmmaking. Coming to Siddarth, we first spotted him at the Ranga Shankara café. One day, the film’s editor (Pavan Bhat) and I were just hanging out there discussing the script and characters, and we saw this energetic little boy zipping past the tables, the adjacent bookstore and foyer. We were like… Oh, that’s our Akash! Later, we spoke to his mother and went for an audition at their house. Initially, he seemed a bit disinterested in acting, but spoke enthusiastically about his love for cars. Eventually, he came on board. I loved his natural self even in front of the camera. So yeah, overall it was fun working with all the actors.
Q. Even though the film is primarily focussed on Akash, it was Aishwarya who seemed to have anchored the story mimicking the real-life sacrifices made by young mothers through generations. As the writer-director, what was your instruction to her?
A. Yes, it’s in fact true of mothers through generations. When I look back, my mother already had two kids at 23, whereas I was still so immature when I was that age. Speaking of Aishwarya essaying the character of amma in Don’t Tell Mother, I think these intricate details were already mentioned in the script. Because it’s a semi-autobiographical film, I was very detailed in my script about everything. Additionally, we caught up a lot before the shooting began and discussed pretty much every scene. I would tell Aishwarya how my mother would do certain things or react to situations, giving her insights into my mother’s psyche and behavioural patterns.
Aishwarya diligently made a note of all the backstories and learnings. All the conversations we had helped her understand the character better and gave her an idea as to how to portray it on screen. Then obviously, things were fine-tuned during rehearsals. I must say I was really impressed by her commitment and dedication to bringing every small detail alive in front of the camera. We also had Trimala Adhikari Sheth as an acting coach, who helped in bringing out performances from Karthik and Aishwarya. But yeah, I think for me, everything mainly goes back to the script.
Q. Speaking of the script, you mentioned it’s semi-autobiographical. But what really inspired you to weave these nondescript everyday experiences of a bygone era into a movie, with such immediate resonance?
A. That would be my wife, Mikayla Henke. We were having a conversation before I wrote the script about raising children. She’s from the US and I’m from India, and so we sort of had opposing views on that. I told her how as a kid I would be hit (by my parents, teachers, uncles, aunts and even neighbours) to be disciplined, and it was considered quite normal. However, she being on the other spectrum saying, is of the opinion that we shouldn’t hit children.
These discussions got me thinking that maybe she’s right. I am probably doing it because my parents hit me and my grandparents did the same to my parents. It’s passing through generations and seems almost cyclical at this point. It triggered me to explore this pattern in the form of a film. So, the incident in which Akash is punished by his teacher in school and the one involving Adi traced back to my own experiences in life. Writing this script gave me the opportunity to go back in time and reexamine those bitter-sweet incidents that have direct influence in shaping the person I became. It helped me introspect and revisit memories that were not all about just toys, leisure and fun times with family.
Q. The landscape of India’s independent cinema has considerably grown in recent years, more so when it comes to regional films making a mark on global platforms. How do you perceive this growth story?
A. I am not quite sure if it is a growth story yet, because everyone I have spoken to has kind of said the opposite. That said, I really hope people gravitate more toward independent films, because while they narrate unique stories these movies are difficult to make, as they are not usually backed by big studios. So, the audiences’ support really matters here. People going to the theatres to watch independent movies would mean more such films being made every year, and even get on to leading OTT platforms.
Q. Any future projects that you like to mention…
A. I have four-five ideas that I am currently deliberating over, and I am just waiting for the right producers to help me with that. But whichever gets done, I would want my next film too to have a festival run and eventually release in the cinemas. I hope everyone connects with the movie, as they did with Don’t Tell Mother.
