Company: About Us

We produce films that go beyond mere entertainment, to emotionally engage the audience and initiate dialogues about under-represented issues. Health and sexuality, gay/transgender issues, rights of the disabled, women rights are some of the core themes around which we weave films that are humorous, dramatic and engaging. Our unique blend of Bollywood style drama with avant-garde global appeal has been recognized as path-breaking, receiving awards and critical acclaim both in India and worldwide.

Our creative team has wriiten, directed and produced Corporate AVs, TV commercials for leading Indian multinationals and over 100 hours of television content, for one-hour series, spanning several genres like comedy, romance, drama and thrillers. Pyar Ki Kashti Mein (Love Boat), a 39 part television series, was shot on a luxury cruiseliner off Singapore and Malaysia.

Our first independent film The Pink Mirror - Gulabi Aaina (2003), on Indian transsexuals has gone on to become a 'cult film', having played at over 70 international film festivals and winning 'Best Film of the Festival' award in New York and France. The film still remains banned in India by the Censor Board, because of its frank and realistic portrayal of the homosexual community, but has received overwhelming critical acclaim for its ’sensitive and humorous portrayal’ of the closeted Indian gay scene. The film is now part of sexuality and gender curriculum at several US Universities. Setting a trend for one of the most successful indie distribution model, The film is sold on Amazon, imoovies, indiepix and several other e-stores.

Our next film Yours Emotionally! (2006), co-produced with Wise Thoughts (UK) explored racial and sexual stereotypes in UK and a small town in India through a passionate gay love story. Opening to great critical reviews at several international festivals, it has been released in US by Waterbearer Films. The film ‘combines Bollywood with avant-garde gay cinema, awash with colours reminiscent of Wong Kar Wai films’ and "is one of the few films to give a clear and concise picture of gay Indian life with great emotion and honesty’ (Amos Lassen on Amazon).

Solaris Pictures' next feature, in association with The Humsafar Trust 68 Pages (2007), a film on stigma and discrimination faced by HIV positive people was produced with seed money from DFID (UK) and co-produced with The Humsafar Trust (India). Having screened at more than 120 public venues, the film received the Silver Remi award at Worldfest, Houston, USA. The film has been made mandatory as part of counsellor training modules in India by the apex government body National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) as part of their national policy.

Our latest film in association with The Humsafar Trust, a 18 min documentary Bridges of Hope (2007), produced by UNAIDS for NACO, brings to light the issues faced by the MSM and TG communities in India with emphasis on their health issues and need to set up interventions for control of HIV. The film brings forth the voices from the community and makes an effort to educate and sensitize health care providers on issues of MSM & Transgender communities.