Xarax Comes Home: Salil Jason Fernandez's Psychological Horror Short Gets A Special Mumbai Screening

What if the demon you fear isn't inside the person you've been sent to save — it's inside you? That's the question haunting Xarax, the psychological horror short from writer-director Salil Jason Fernandez (@sjfernan) that has spent the last year quietly building a festival-circuit reputation across five continents. Now, after premiering abroad and touring the world, Xarax is finally coming home — with a special one-night screening in Mumbai on 21st September.

What Is Xarax About?

Xarax follows a young priest, played by Neil Bhoopalam, who arrives at a Mumbai convent to complete an exorcism that has already failed once — and finds that the darkness he has been sent to cast out might be a reflection of something inside himself. Farzana Palathingal co-stars as the young nun at the centre of the ritual. Running a tight 13 minutes, the film is less interested in jump scares than in slow-burn dread, using the framework of a botched exorcism to ask an uncomfortable question about faith, desire and evil — and about how thin the line between the two really is.

Quick Facts

• Title: Xarax

• Genre: Psychological Horror, Short Film (13 minutes)

• Writer-Director: Salil Jason Fernandez (@sjfernan)

• Cast: Neil Bhoopalam, Farzana Palathingal

• Cinematography: Vincenzo Condorelli

• Mumbai Screening: 21st September, 7 PM, at Houdini, Lower Parel

• Festival Run: Beyond Fest (2025), Curtas Festival do Imaxinario (Spain), screened across five continents

A Short Film That's Travelled Five Continents

Xarax has spent the past year making the rounds on the international festival circuit, picking up momentum the way most great genre shorts do — one programmer, one audience, one word-of-mouth screening at a time. It premiered at Beyond Fest in 2025, and went on to screen as part of the Curtas Festival do Imaxinario in Spain that October. By Fernandez's own count, the film has now played on five continents — a rare feat for an Indian short, and proof that Xarax's premise travels well beyond the specifics of a Mumbai convent.

The Mumbai Homecoming — Screening Details

On 21st September, Xarax finally gets its Mumbai homecoming, with a special screening at Houdini in Lower Parel starting at 7 PM. The screening is part of a shorts showcase, with Xarax playing alongside two other short films, followed by a conversation with special guests. Announcing the screening, Fernandez said he was "super excited" to finally bring the film to his home turf after its long run abroad, inviting fans to come out and support independent short filmmaking in the city.

Why Xarax Is Worth Watching

Indian horror has leaned heavily on jump-scare spectacle in recent years, which makes a film like Xarax — patient, psychologically driven, more interested in a character's interior rot than in its exorcism trappings — feel like a genuine departure. Its festival run suggests international programmers agree. For Mumbai audiences who have so far only encountered the film through its trailer and reels, the 21st September screening is the first real chance to see what all the buzz on the international circuit has been about.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Xarax about?

Xarax follows a young priest who travels to a Mumbai convent to perform an exorcism that has already failed once, only to discover that the demon he's fighting may be a reflection of his own darkest desires. It's a psychological horror short about faith, desire and evil.

Who directed Xarax?

Xarax was written and directed by Salil Jason Fernandez (@sjfernan), who also produced the film alongside Vandana Sethhi.

Where and when is the Xarax Mumbai screening?

The special Mumbai screening of Xarax is on 21st September at 7 PM, at Houdini in Lower Parel, as part of a shorts showcase featuring two other short films, followed by a conversation with special guests.

Where has Xarax screened before?

Xarax premiered at Beyond Fest in 2025 and went on to screen at the Curtas Festival do Imaxinario in Spain, as well as at festivals across five continents.

Who stars in Xarax?

The film stars Neil Bhoopalam as the young priest and Farzana Palathingal as the young nun at the centre of the exorcism.