Sahil Shah takes debut feature Birds on Ice to Busan for world premiere
04 October,2026 07:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Priyanka Sharma
Sahil Shah’s debut feature Birds on Ice will have its world premiere at Busan International Film Festival. Inspired by ice hockey in Leh, the film follows a young Ladakhi girl who dreams of playing the sport and features real-life player Padma Chorol
A still from ‘Birds of Ice’
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A week from now, debutant director Sahil Shah will attend the world première of his first feature, Birds on Ice, at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). The idea for the film took shape when he discovered ice hockey while trekking in Leh a decade ago. “It started off as a short film. I thought I would make it as a proof of concept for people to understand or invest in me as a filmmaker,” he told mid-day. As the idea took shape, Shah became confident about turning it into a feature.
“Shaan Pasricha has written the story, but conceptually I have been exploring this world for 10 years. I am a director, not a writer, so I felt Shaan would do more justice to it,” shared Shah. Birds on Ice follows Tashi, a young Ladakhi girl who dreams of playing ice hockey. The film explores love, friendship, resistance, innocence in complex relationships and the shared joy of achievement.
To bring the story to life, Shah cast real-life ice-hockey player Padma Chorol, a forward in India’s women’s national ice hockey team, as the coach. Convincing her to act, however, was not easy. “It was a difficult process because she was concerned how people would react to [an ice-hockey player] acting. As I started interacting with Padma, I realised that her scenes in the film have somewhat played out in her life, whether it’s a tough conversation with her parents about the sport or coaching kids on the field. So it became easier to push her [towards] the right emotions. She is determined to put India on the global ice hockey map. That’s what stayed with me, and what I think got her to do the film,” explained Shah.
Who is Padma Chorol?
She is a senior member of the Indian women’s national team, and also serves as assistant captain of the UT Ladakh women’s ice hockey team. Chorol became one of the founding members of India’s first women’s national ice hockey team in 2016.
Oct 10
The day âBirds on Ice’ premières at BIFF
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