Local voices, global stage: Chingam brings Himachal’s new wave to the world

Set against the mist-draped hills of Himachal Pradesh, ‘Chingam’ is a tender portrait of memory, longing and rediscovery. The film is set to make its World Premiere on September 19 at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival.

At its heart lies the story of Ajay (Abhay Sharma) and Radhika (Swati Nayal), once inseparable, now strangers to each other and perhaps even to themselves. When fate brings them face-to-face after years apart, they carry with them the weight of dreams never realised, emotions never confessed and a silence that has lingered far too long. In their fleeting reunion, the two are compelled to confront the fragments of what was left behind.

Directed by Abhay Sharma, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Aryan Singh and Aditya Singh, Chingam is enriched by performances from Akhil Sharma, Som and Dimple Sharma in significant roles. The film is produced by Ajay Reddy K, who also served as its creative director. Behind the camera, Karthik CS captures Himachal’s raw beauty, while Joshua George John shapes the narrative with his editing and Bhavya Thacker lends emotional texture through the score.

Speaking about his vision, Sharma reflects: “I grew up in a place where the mountains keep their secrets and people do too. Chingam is my attempt to bring that silence alive — the ache of first love, the shadow of dreams unfulfilled and the pull of a home you thought you had left behind.” For him, Chingam is not just a film but the spark of a new Himachali cinema — authentic, grounded and unafraid of its own stillness.

Producer Ajay Reddy adds: “This film is proof of what belief can achieve when experience is scarce. We were first-timers, but that became our strength. Over 21 days of rain, mist and sunlight, we built something larger than ourselves. Rooted in Himachal, Chingam belongs as much to its people as to its story.”

With its blend of local rituals, folk songs, and even contemporary rap, Chingam emerges not as an outsider’s gaze upon the mountains, but as their living, breathing echo.