The deeply personal and emotionally resonant short film SŪNNA (Listen), written and directed by Radha Mehta, has been officially selected for the Cleveland International Film Festival and The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA). Inspired by Mehta’s own lived experience, the film offers a powerful and intimate exploration of identity, loss, and rediscovery through the lens of music and silence.
SŪNNA (Listen) follows a young Indian musician whose world is upended by sudden hearing loss. As silence takes hold, she is forced to confront the loss of not only her craft, but her sense of self. Through memory, touch, and cultural connection, she begins a journey toward reclaiming both her music and her identity. Blending emotional authenticity with a sensory cinematic approach, the film invites audiences into a rarely depicted experience, transforming silence into something deeply expressive and profoundly human.
Writer and Director, Radha Mehta, brings a unique and compelling voice to the film. A civil engineer turned filmmaker, Mehta holds an MFA in Directing from the American Film Institute, an MBA from Kellogg, and degrees from Duke University. Her work is rooted in her lived experience as a first-generation Indian mother, and as someone who has navigated hearing loss while maintaining a lifelong connection to music. A WIF 2025 Directing Fellow, CAPE Fellow, Disability Belongs Fellow, and Recording Academy voting member, Mehta has built a multidisciplinary artistic career spanning music, paintings, and film. Her previous films, including DOSH, Winds of Silence, and Witness, have received international acclaim and numerous awards. With SŪNNA (Listen), she draws directly from her own journey, creating a film that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
The film is produced by Pallavi Sastry, with cinematography by Isue Shin, whose visual approach captures both the internal and external worlds of the protagonist with sensitivity and precision, reflecting the shifting sensory landscape at the heart of the story.
Leading the cast is Anisha Nagarajan as Savita, a performer known for her work across Broadway (“Bombay Dreams”) and television (“Outsourced”), who brings depth and nuance to a role defined by both vulnerability and resilience. She is joined by her real-life daughter – Aaliya Mehta as “Lakshmi” and Behzad Dabu (“How To Get Away With Murder”) as “Bipin”, alongside Alyssa Diaz (“The Rookie”) as “Selma Michaels, Au.D.”, each contributing to the film’s layered portrayal of family, support, and self-discovery.
With its blend of personal storytelling, cultural specificity, and universal emotional themes, SŪNNA (Listen) stands out as a powerful exploration of resilience and artistic identity. Its selection at the Cleveland International Film Festival and The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) marks an important moment in the film’s journey, bringing a deeply human story about loss, adaptation, and the enduring power of music to international audiences.
