NYFA Alum Surya Balakrishnan Reflects on Her Career and Directing "Khauf" for Amazon Prime

NYFA Alumni Network: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you're from, and what brought you to New York Film Academy?

S.B: I’m Surya Balakrishnan, a filmmaker from Mumbai, India. I started out studying graphic design at the College of Fine Arts in Bangalore, but I always felt a deeper pull toward storytelling—especially stories that could spark dialogue and social change. I’ve always believed in the power of film as more than just entertainment; it can shift perspectives, and humanize the overlooked.

That belief is what led me to the New York Film Academy in 2008. I wanted to learn how to tell stories that could move people—emotionally, politically, and socially. NYFA’s hands-on approach felt like the perfect training ground. It gave me the technical tools and creative freedom to experiment with narrative, documentary, and visual language. Just as importantly, it exposed me to an incredibly diverse community of storytellers from around the world. That experience still informs the way I approach both my creative and social work today.

NYFA Alumni Network: What projects have you worked on since graduating? Have you won any awards or been showcased in any festivals or competitions?

S.B: Since graduating, I’ve directed a range of work across fiction and non-fiction. Most recently, I directed two episodes of Khauf, a prime-time Amazon Original series.

My short film Deepa Didi, which explores quiet class dynamics in a Mumbai apartment, is part of the 2025 Indian Film Festival of Stuttgart lineup. Apart from this I have directed two other shorts. 

I am in the last leg of my first feature documentary titled Amarkatha- the undying tales from kashmir, which investigates the ecological and political shifts surrounding the Amarnath pilgrimage in Kashmir. 

I run a production house in Mumbai called Footloose Films  where I direct TV commercials. 

NYFA Alumni Network: Running a successful production house and directing over 100 commercials is impressive. How did Footloose Films come to be, and what’s its creative philosophy?

S.B: Footloose Films was born out of a desire to create sharp, heartfelt, and visually distinctive work. I co-founded it in 2018 with the idea of building a home that was one that allows us to create a space to do all the commercial work but with all our heart. 

Over the years, we’ve worked with some of India’s leading brands and won several awards for our work. Even within the constraints of advertising, our aim has always been to bring empathy, texture, and sometimes even a quiet narrative arc to the frame. After producing over 200 commercials, Footloose recently produced its first fiction short and first feature documentary and hopefully in the future, along with advertising we do a lot more formats of story telling. 

Whether we’re working on a fast-paced commercial, a short film, or a documentary, we try to find that emotional anchor that makes the story memorable.

S.B: Khauf was my first step into long-format fiction, and choosing horror—a genre I hadn't worked in before—was a challenge. What drew me to the project was that beneath the supernatural premise, the series was saying something powerful and very important. It used fear not just for thrills, but as a lens to explore deeper psychological and societal anxieties. 

When the opportunity came my way, I knew it would push me creatively and technically. It gave me the chance to build tension and atmosphere over time, and to explore how visual language, silence, and pacing could all work together to heighten dread. It was both a learning experience and a natural progression from the kind of emotionally textured short-form work I’ve done before.

NYFA Alumni Network: You’ve had experience across different formats—from commercials to documentaries and horror series. How do you adapt your directing approach across such varied genres?

S.B: The format may change, but the core approach stays rooted in emotion and honesty. Whether it's a 30-second commercial, a documentary, or a long-format series, I always start by asking: What is this moment really trying to say? And how can we say it truthfully?

In advertising, it’s about precision—finding a sharp, emotionally resonant beat within tight constraints. With documentaries, it’s about observation, patience, and allowing real life to shape the story. And with fiction, especially something like Khauf, it’s about building a world that feels lived-in and guiding performances with a certain emotional restraint. 

I adapt by staying fluid with tone and rhythm, but always keeping character and emotional subtext at the center. Each format teaches you something new—and for me, the real joy is in switching gears while staying connected to the emotional truth of the story.

NYFA Alumni Network: What did you learn at NYFA that you apply to your projects?

S.B: The biggest takeaway from my time at NYFA was the discipline of learning by doing. We weren’t just sitting in classrooms—we were constantly shooting, editing, collaborating, and troubleshooting. That rhythm of creating every day, often with limited resources, built both confidence and clarity. It taught me that the only way to grow as a filmmaker is to keep making.

That early environment of experimentation and problem-solving has stayed with me. Even today, whether I’m on a commercial set or directing a documentary, I fall back on that mindset: stay hands-on, stay agile, and keep the story at the center. NYFA really gave me the tools—and the permission—to just start creating.

NYFA Alumni Network: Are you currently working on any future projects?

S.B: Yes, a few! I’m currently wrapping up Amarkatha, a feature documentary that’s been years in the making. It’s a deeply personal and political film about the transformation of the Amarnath pilgrimage which is a Hindu pilgrimage that happens in a Muslim majority state- Kashmir. —touching on ecology, identity, and the quiet shifts that change a landscape and its people.

Alongside that, I’m developing a scripted series and also working on my next short film, which is honestly my favourite format of storytelling. There’s something incredibly intimate and powerful about the short form—it forces you to be precise, emotionally sharp, and unafraid to leave some space for the audience to lean in. 

NYFA Alumni Network congratulates Surya on all her success!