Vaghachipani

Tiger’s Pond

Forum 2025

The idyllic landscape of Vaghachipani conceals a fallen world under the sway of the tiger god. The secular lord of this domain, however, is Prabhu, a ruthless businessman trying to win a local election with the help of his faithful right-hand man, an immigrant known as Malabari. When Basu, a politically savvy, outcast worker, stands up to their intimidation tactics and ill-earned authority, the strict hierarchy and the feudal order of Prabhu’s dominion threatens to come undone. Deepening the inquiry of his acclaimed debut feature Pedro (2021), Natesh Hegde offers a sharp, simmering crime drama exploring the nefarious confluence of faith, caste and political power in Southern India. Set in a hermetic village ruled by fear and tradition, Hegde’s film is a game of tigers and cows, a tale of structured oppression and spontaneous resistance around the figure of the mute maid, Pathi. The spectral camera drifts through this netherworld, registering its rocky terrain, its murky goings-on and its unforgettable faces in rapturous 16mm images. As it unmasks the brutality beneath the serene beauty of the village, the still waters of Tiger's Pond begin to reveal their treacherous depths.

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by Natesh Hegde (Director, Screenplay)
with Dileesh Pothan, Achyut Kumar, Natesh, Gopal Hegde, Sumitra, Bindu Raxidi India / Singapore 2025 Kannada, Malayalam 87' Colour World premiere

With

Dileesh Pothan
Achyut Kumar
Natesh
Gopal Hegde
Sumitra
Bindu Raxidi

Crew

Director	Natesh Hegde
Screenplay	Natesh Hegde
Cinematography	Vikas Urs
Editing	Natesh Hegde, Paresh Kamdar
Music	Leo Heiblum
Sound Design	Shreyank Nanjappa
Production Design	Jagadeep Hedge, Mallkarjun Shivalli
Casting	Natesh Hedge
Producers	Anurag Kashyap, Ranjan Singh, Natesh Hedge
Co-Producer	Jeremy Chua

Produced by

Flip Films

Kadalivana

Potocol

World Sales

Loco Films

Natesh Hegde

Director and scriptwriter Natesh Hegde was born and brought up in Yellapura in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, India. He completed a master’s in journalism at the Karnataka University Dharwad. Pedro (2021), his debut feature film, was part of the NFDC Film Bazaar’s Work-in-Progress Lab in 2019 and had its world premiere in the Busan New Currents Competition in 2021. It won the Roberto Rossellini award for Best Director at the 5th Pingyao International Film Festival and the Montgolfiere d’Argent at the Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes. His short stories have been published in major Kannada-language magazines.

Filmography

2021 Pedro 2025 Vaghachipani (Tiger’s Pond)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2025