Sahebs Who Never Left

A Personal Vision Turned Collective Awakening

Sahebs Who Never Left began as a creative spark during the formative days of Prachyam. Inspired by my deep research into colonial systems across cultures, I conceived the title as a sharp metaphor for a hard truth: colonization didn’t thrive in India solely due to foreign invaders—it was enabled by the complicity of our own. The term "saheb," once used for the British, now symbolically represents Indians who internalized colonial mindsets and aided the dismantling of civilizational confidence from within.

The first part of the series is a meditative, sweeping retelling of India's subjugation—not just through arms, but through ideas, through silence, through slow submission. It traces the roots of coloniality from the earliest Islamic invasions to the British Raj, exposing how successive psychological defeats led to the erosion of intellectual resistance and cultural self-worth.

The Making of a Movement

This was a labor of over 8 months, running parallel to my other commitments. I wrote, directed, and edited the film personally, anchoring it in the work of India’s leading thinkers and scholars on Indic history and decolonial thought. A large pre-AI team of artists came together to create painted sequences and animated visualizations. We also shot re-dramatized fictional scenes under the direction of Praveen Chaturvedi, bringing historical moods to life with visual texture and emotional depth.

The film was a watershed moment for Prachyam. It went viral on release, with millions of views and thousands of independent reactions and reviews from across the country. Viewers were stunned by its bold retelling and the depth of unknown historical subtext it revealed.

The Sequel: Sahebs Who Never Left – Part 2

Following the explosive reception of Part 1, I developed a second film that traced Bharat’s post-independence journey. Part 2 dives into the Cold War era, exploring how India remained ideologically vulnerable even after political independence. It sheds light on geopolitical subversion, cultural infiltration, and how domestic power players prioritized personal gain over national interest—revealing the continuity of mental colonization in new forms.

Due to rising censorship risks on mainstream platforms, Part 2 was released exclusively on Prachyam OTT and remains freely accessible.

Impact and Legacy

Together, both films form a definitive statement on Bharat’s long and complex journey through layers of colonization and self-betrayal. They have sparked conversation, introspection, and a growing call for civilizational revival—marking them as cornerstones in the cultural resistance movement.