Who is Filmy Sasi?
My name is Tusshar Sasi, alias Filmy Sasi, and I hail from Kerala, India — a state renowned for its scenic beauty and world-class cinema. Raised in a culturally rich family, the film I’m told to have taken was His Highness Abdullah as an infant. The turning point came in 1995 when I watched Mani Ratnam’s Bombay. A. R. Rahman’s music, K. S. Chithra’s voice in Kannalane, and Manisha Koirala’s magnetic presence introduced me to a realm that merged sound, image, and emotion in the most magical way possible. That was precisely the moment I realised cinema could be an immersive experience, allowing me to live lives far removed from my own and feel emotions I had never known before.
How did it all kick-start?
Between 1995 and 2006, I exposed myself primarily to Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, and Hollywood titles, precisely because those were the languages I spoke and the films from those industries were accessible back then. In 2006, I penned my first amateur review – it was of Vikram Bhatt’s film Ankahee. To my delight, the review was published in Filmfare’s “Reader’s Review” column. That single experience motivated me to keep writing. By 2011, over 25 of my reviews had appeared in the magazine, which gave me the confidence to launch my own blog and carve out a space for myself as a critic.
What was the first recognition?
Relocating to Bangalore in late 2011 expanded my horizons even further. A film society introduced me to world cinema and encouraged serious discussion around film language and form. My Master’s program, which included film studies, gave me an academic perspective on cinema and reinforced my passion for writing. I attended film festivals such as the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES), where I also interned in 2013. A year later, I was honoured with the “Best Audience Reviewer” award at BIFFES, a recognition that validated my early efforts in film criticism.
The birth of Filmy Sasi, the platform
In December 2015, I moved to Mumbai, taking a new turn in my career in advertising. In three months, I launched Filmy Sasi, my dedicated platform for Indian and world cinema reviews. Invitations soon followed, including the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in 2016 as a media delegate, and later the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, and the Jagran Film Festival. In 2017, I pursued a course in film criticism at FTII, Pune, which sharpened both my craft and critical perspective.
Going international
My writing gained wider recognition in 2018 when I was invited to join the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS), where I contributed reviews and am a voting member for their annual awards. Filmy Sasi’s access to cinema expanded significantly during this period, and I began covering prestigious international festivals, including the Locarno Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Tribeca Festival, NewFest, BFI Flare and the New York International Film Festival.
Being the only native Indian critic to cover some of these coveted film festivals was an unexpected delight I never saw coming. Today, I am privileged to be connected with films and communications professionals across the world, with my words, verdicts, and votes being valued in various geographies. These experiences not only broadened my exposure but also deepened my appreciation for global storytelling traditions.
A sweet homecoming
In 2025, I was inducted into the Film Critics Guild of India, an acknowledgment of my journey as a professional critic and my sustained contribution to film discourse. This recognition felt especially meaningful, as it allowed someone whose passion for cinema began in India to join a larger community of the country’s leading critics, all working to elevate the standards of film writing and appreciation.
Is there a Filmy Sasi 2.0?
Being an advertising lad who writes, designs, edits, and voice-acts, being obsolete is the last thing I would wish for. In the early days, I focused mainly on my long-form reviews, which earned me both access and appreciation. Eventually, I realized the need to step out of the ivory tower I had placed myself in. What’s the point if my ideas do not reach a wider audience, who may or may not be interested in lengthy analyses?
This led me to engage more actively on social media, specifically Instagram. Today, through Filmy Sasi and its social media platforms on Instagram, Facebook, and X, I continue to publish fun posts, film reviews, features, tributes, festival reports, interviews, and year-end compilations. Sometimes, I connect with them using a movie scene. At other times, I present to them a series of visuals or ask them an intriguing question. The objective was always the same: to continue my efforts to make my voice heard by people of all ages, classes, communities, and educational backgrounds. Social media also allows me to interact with film talent and fellow content creators naturally and organically.
My focus, however, remains on English-language critiques of films across regions and languages, with my reviews emphasizing inclusivity and gender representation. I strive to balance accessibility with depth, writing for both casual movie lovers and serious cinephiles. Filmy Sasi’s goal remains the same as when I first watched Bombay as a child: to explore how cinema reflects lives, cultures, and emotions, and to share that experience with readers everywhere.