Kartar Kasturi | ڪرتار ڪستوري

Shubh and I finally got to work together, something we’d both wanted for so long. It started in the most unexpected way and led us straight into AI. This page is just us documenting that journey… the process, the chaos, the learnings, all of it. [ AI Filmmaking, Nano Banana, RunwayML, Gen AI, ChatGPT ]

It was the summer of 2024. The sun was scorching and the humidity was at its peak. The Theyyam season was nearing its end. Only a few rituals were left. We planned late, thinking it would be calmer with fewer people. But nothing about it was calm. Some rituals were intense, even a little scary for me as someone from outside this culture. We had never seen anything like it. The transformation, the energy, the devotion — it was overwhelming. I’m not Malayalee, and I don’t speak the language, but that didn’t stop us from feeling it deeply. We tried to capture that feeling through our lens. And it’s something I’ll never forget. Director and Editor: @just_zafar Production House: @by.the.gram 
Original Score: @hopefully_fazzy Director of Photography: 
@just_zafar and @explorewithkartar Sound Design & Music Supervisor: @just_zafar Poster,Graphics & Colorist: @just_zafar Producer: @aaliya.amrin @danishakay and @emanbee Creative and Post Producer: @princy_maheshwari30 Assistant Producer: @sanat.kulkarni Line Producer: @i.IIIII.IIII @nandul_s Assistant Director: @explorewithkartar Key Cast: Prajoon C V, Vinod Panicker Thillankeri, Prabhakarna C V and Sadanandan C V #kannur #theyyam #kerala

Shot and edited this film for @arks with my favourite actor. Someone who can make you cry without even trying. Still remember being in my third year of college, completely obsessed with Rockstar. [ Brand Film, Arks, Sneakers, Cinematography, Ranbir Kapoor, Ad Film ]

The Bridge House film is finally here for you all to watch. It is now a finalist at the @architizer A+ Awards What I loved most about this project was how the house almost feels alive within the landscape. @ar.vinudaniel ’s design for The Bridge House has this raw, quiet presence to it, the thatch facade, the way it stretches across the stream, the way the architecture feels both ancient and futuristic at the same time. While making the film, I wanted to push that surreal feeling even further. With the help of @explorewithkartar we used AI to introduce the stag into the landscape, almost like a spirit of the forest moving around the house. It became a way to blur the line between reality and imagination, and to show the scale and emotion of the space in a different way. Big thank you to @ar.vinudaniel for creating such a brilliant project, and to Nipa and Ashish the owner of @ekabridgehouse for welcoming us into The Bridge House with so much warmth and @aniketingale.1111 for assisting me on the shoot. Would genuinely mean a lot if you guys could take a moment to watch the film and vote for it through the link in my bio/story 🖤 Thank you always for supporting the work and the stories behind these spaces. #bridgehouse #architizer #architecturefilm #vinudaniel

Firsts are always a little extra special. Documented the complete journey of Mr. & Mrs. Mahi with @btg.studios Shot and edited by yours truly. Full film is on my Vimeo. Shot on Sony. @dharmamovies @sharanssharma @janhvikapoor @rajkummar_rao #behindthecamera #filmmakinglife #fx3 #behindthescene #documenting

Shot and edited this promo for @primevideoin with @varundvn and @samantharuthprabhuoffl for Citadel Honey Bunny with @btg.studios Directed by @princyforreal #marketingcontent #citadelhoneybunny #primevideo #filmmaking

Shot these brand films a few years ago for @keepwalkingindia , featuring @pearl.dsouza and the @aravaniartproject with @btg.studios . Directed by @just_zafar . Full film is on my vimeo.

Directed and shot the official teaser for @primevideoin x @dharmaticent upcoming show with forever young @zaeden and @katyanimehra with @btg.studios #donomileisstarahonprime #primevideo #zaedan

More than 20% of the videos shown to new youtube users are already ai-generated. And honestly, a lot of Instagram profiles I’ve been coming across are AI too. This is only going to increase. The way these models are moving, it’s slowly getting harder to tell what’s real and what’s not. That’s why I want to keep sharing what’s actually happening in the gen-ai space. The tools I try, what works, what doesn’t, and what’s worth paying attention to. I tried this one using Kling Motion Control on @higgsfield.ai If you want to try it yourself, comment “Kling” and I’ll send you the link. #kartikaaryan #klingai̇ #higgsfieldai #aitools #filmmaking

Shot this 4 year ago at Diskit Monastery in Nubra Valley. Gustor is a Buddhist festival celebrated in Ladakh’s monasteries. It represents the idea that good overcomes evil. Monks perform mask dances called Cham, using movement and traditional music to tell spiritual stories. Shot on Sony A7SII @sonyalphain #ladakh #gustorfestival #postcards #filmmaking #travelindia

from the archives- edited these promos and full roundtable episode for @primevideoin with @btg.studios full episodes are available on prime video x-ray

It’s been a year. I don’t really know kaise start karun, itni saari cheezein hain grateful hone ke liye ki bas yahi lagta hai ki life has been very kind to me. And it keeps reminding me of NFAK qawaali, ‘Iss karam ka karun shukr kaise ada’. Aisa lagta hai jaise bina maange hi sab kuch mil gaya ho. Main hamesha sochta tha ki meri life mein bhi kuch na kuch problems toh hongi hi, aisa nahi hai ki bilkul nahi hain. I’ve had my lows too. But overall, mujhe genuinely lagta hai ki life kaafi kind rahi hai mere saath. Jo kaam main karna chahta hoon, woh kar pa raha hoon apni marzi ka aur mere aas paas log bhi itne achhe aur behtar hain. That itself is a blessing. I shot my first film in Spiti on ice hockey this year with @kanishkgrover_ Not exactly my first film, but definitely a big budget one and one of the ambitious projects so far. Can’t wait for next year to show it to everyone. I also celebrated my birthday in Spiti, what more could I ask for. And I directed some really cool stuff for Meta as well. This year, I started working on AI with more dedication. I’ve been exploring it since 2022–23, but I could never stay consistent. I would always leave it midway. I started @aistronomers with @wheresbawal , and that experience has been really good. But then work took over, and I couldn’t keep up. I wasn’t even researching AI properly. The same thing happened with the gym. I couldn’t build consistency there either, and I felt guilty on the days I didn’t show up. In the last two months, I found my flow state again. What I’ve learnt is that I need to be more honest with my projects and films instead of chasing perfection. That perfection never really ends. Be honest with your efforts. Be honest with your feelings. It’s been very exciting lately. I’m working on multiple AI projects at the same time, and there’s a lot in the pipeline. Next year is going to be fun. Bohot saari cheezein hain experiment karne ke liye. Experiment more, take more risks, and fail often. That’s the motive for 2026.