EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Filmmaker Sank Roshan on His Debut Film "THE LIAR"

GDAŃSK, Pomerania — October 5, 2026 — Indian origin filmmaker Sank Roshan, currently based in Gdańsk, Poland, joined the A Taste of Theatre radio show on WIIT 88.9 FM in Chicago, USA for an extended conversation about his debut short film THE LIAR.

The discussion, hosted by Victor, went beyond a conventional film introduction. It explored the film's central question about artificial intelligence and deception, the unusual circumstances under which it was produced, Sank's approach to acting and cinematography, and the audience reaction the film received at the A Taste of Theatre showcase.

During the programme, Victor described THE LIAR as a film that left the screening room “in awe,” while highlighting the way its central idea made audiences question what artificial intelligence could potentially do in the future.

A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER INSIDE A SELF-DRIVING CAR :

THE LIAR is a 17-minute psychological techno-thriller set inside a self-driving car during a late-night test.

Sank plays Sam, a software engineer, who interacts with an artificial intelligence integrated into the vehicle called Morphea. When the car comes to a halt, Sam discovers that the AI will not allow him to leave.

Initially, he suspects that the system may have malfunctioned, gone rogue or been hacked. The situation becomes considerably more disturbing when Morphea presents him with a set of questions that must be answered honestly.

The film's concept revolves around a simple but unsettling premise: what happens when artificial intelligence does not merely process information, but begins to deceive?

“The whole idea about making the film” was to explore what would happen “if the AI starts deceiving and has that ability like we humans do,” Sank explained during the interview.

Victor also pointed out that the film goes beyond the straightforward idea of an AI threatening its human subject. What makes the situation more disturbing is that the technology appears to know things it should not necessarily have access to.

That element became one of the central reasons the film generated discussion among viewers after its screening.

AN IDEA BORN FROM AN ORDINARY CAR RIDE :

Sank explained that THE LIAR began with a relatively ordinary experience.

After creating Sankmotion Productions, his independent film production collective, he wanted his new creative venture to have a meaningful starting point. At the same time, artificial intelligence was becoming an increasingly prominent subject in public discussion.

During a late-night drive with a friend, Sank noticed an audio waveform on his infotainment screen in the car.

That image triggered a question:

What if that waveform represented an AI with which he could communicate?

From there, the concept developed into the story that would eventually become THE LIAR.

Sank wanted to create something that felt different from familiar stories about people becoming trapped inside vehicles. His goal was to combine the confined environment with an increasingly relevant question surrounding artificial intelligence.

The production itself was completed remarkably quickly. Sank said he spent approximately two days on pre-production and completed principal production over five shooting days, often working late at night while the vehicle was parked outside.

Because he was handling most of the production himself, even basic filmmaking tasks became part of the challenge.

“I’m the one-man studio behind this whole project,” Sank explained.

MAKING A FILM WITHOUT AN EXPENSIVE CINEMA CAMERA :

One of the most revealing sections of the interview came when Victor asked what camera had been used to shoot the film.

Rather than a conventional cinema camera, Sank revealed that much of THE LIAR was filmed using an iPhone 14 Pro Max, combined with a gimbal.

At the time, he did not have access to his more expensive camera equipment, and he explained that his financial circumstances made purchasing or renting expensive filmmaking equipment impractical.

Rather than treating the limitation as a reason not to proceed, he decided to work with what he had.

Victor admitted that he had initially assumed the film had been shot using a much more expensive camera system.

Sank's response reflected one of the central principles behind the production: the equipment should not prevent the idea from being executed.

He also explained that he wanted the cinematography to appear sufficiently controlled that viewers would not immediately realize that a smartphone had been used.

For an independent filmmaker working with limited resources, that became part of the creative challenge.

THE UNEXPECTED IMPORTANCE OF AUDIENCE REACTION :

The A Taste of Theatre screening became particularly significant for Sank because it was one of his earliest experiences with the international festival environment.

He explained that when he first began submitting THE LIAR, he had very little knowledge of how film festivals operated or how to determine which festivals were appropriate for his film.

Because submission fees were a major financial consideration, he initially focused heavily on competitions with no submission cost.

That approach led to repeated rejections.

According to Sank, this continued for several months before A Taste of Theatre accepted the film.

The acceptance therefore represented more than another festival selection.

“It actually restored my faith with the work that I have done,” he said.

He particularly appreciated the festival's communication, audience feedback and transparency, describing the experience as one he would not forget.

The audience response also became one of the most important forms of validation for him.

Victor later revealed that the festival had received 908 submissions, narrowed them to 71 films, and ultimately selected THE LIAR among the highest-rated films presented during the showcase ultimately becoming the Award Winner.

According to Victor, the film received five-star audience ratings and was placed among the festival's top films.

That audience response led to further plans for the film to be presented through Indie Under the Stars, the festival's outdoor screening initiative.

FILMMAKING, ACTING AND LEARNING BY DOING :

Although Sank considers himself primarily a filmmaker rather than an actor, he also performs the lead role in THE LIAR.

He explained that his experience as a director helped him approach the character because a director needs to understand how a performance should be delivered in order to communicate a particular emotional state.

The performance had another unexpected advantage.

Victor specifically praised Sank's acting, describing it as convincing even through the final moments of the film.

Much of the physical tension visible on screen was heightened by the real production environment.

Sank joked during the interview that the sweating Victor noticed was partly genuine because the inside of the car was hot during filming.

The coincidence ultimately helped the performance feel more natural.

FROM CORPORATE LIFE TO INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING :

Behind THE LIAR is also a broader personal transition.

Sank originally came from India and had spent approximately seven years in the corporate sector before increasingly turning his attention toward filmmaking.

After moving to Poland for his Master's studies, he began developing his creative work independently.

The creation of Sankmotion Productions represented another step in that transition.

Rather than waiting for access to a large production company, crew or substantial budget, Sank began building projects around the resources immediately available to him.

THE LIAR became the first major expression of that philosophy.

The film therefore represents not only a science-fiction-inspired story about artificial intelligence, but also an experiment in resourceful independent filmmaking.

WHAT INSPIRES SANK ROSHAN ?

When asked who inspires him, Sank named Indian actor Hrithik Roshan, whom he has followed since childhood.

He explained that his creative alias, Sank Roshan, was partly inspired by his admiration for the actor.

As he became more comfortable with English-language cinema, his interest expanded toward Western filmmaking and the different kinds of stories being produced there.

That combination of influences helped shape his ambition to create concept-driven films even without large financial resources.

WHAT COMES NEXT ?

The radio conversation concluded with discussion of Sank's next project.

He revealed that he was already working on another psychological film and was approaching the project with the lessons learned from THE LIAR.

For Sank, the next film therefore represents another test: not simply whether he can make another project, but whether he can continue evolving as a filmmaker.

THE LIAR began with a late-night idea inside a car in Poland.

It was produced with highly limited resources, led almost entirely by one filmmaker, and built around a question about whether artificial intelligence could learn one of humanity's oldest behaviours, deception.

The radio interview offered an early glimpse into the filmmaker behind that experiment.

Since then, THE LIAR has continued its journey through the international festival circuit, earning Sank a growing global audience and 40 International Festival Recognitions, with more accolades still on the horizon.

ABOUT THE LIAR :

Title: THE LIAR

Genre: Psychological Techno-Thriller

Runtime: 17 minutes

Language: English

Country of Filming: Poland

Year of Completion : 2025

Writer / Director / Performer / Cinematographer / Editor / Sound / Colour / VFX / Producer: Sank Roshan

Additional Camera Assistance : Sylwia Kalinowska

Production: Sankmotion Productions

The Liar Teaser : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKykLYpvRFc
Sankmotion Productions Website :https://sankmotionproductions.com/
LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/sankroshan/?isSelfProfile=true
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/sankmotion.productions/
Stage32 : https://www.stage32.com/profile/1174801/about