From international film student to feature film co-writer
01 September 2026
For MA Film & Television alumnus Karan Thakkar, his time at Falmouth gave him the opportunity to study the parts of filmmaking he was less familiar with while solidifying his understanding of collaboration, sound design and other key parts of the practice.
Describing his experience as having “inevitably made me a better filmmaker”, we caught up with Karan to learn more about how he’s brought the skills gained at Falmouth with him into his career in India, where he shares how he’s been involved with feature films and why Falmouth was a great place to study as an international student.
You’ve worked as a co-writer, assistant director and script supervisor on feature film Hun Iqbal since your time at Falmouth. Can you tell us more about the film and your involvement, sharing with us what your days looked like?
Hun Iqbal was about a thief who executes a robbery at more than 25 jewellery stores in the city all at the same time. The film is based on the question: will the police succeed in catching him?
I worked on the project as a co-writer, assistant director and eventually as a script supervisor, and it became a vital turning point in my story that led me towards Falmouth. The days were a blur of planning, shooting, pre- and post-production. Filming in India, I worked 12-hour shifts seven days a week and that was the norm. But it was also a lot of fun!
From feature films to short films, ads and web series, you’ve had a busy few years! Can you tell us about some of the work you’ve done recently that you’re particularly proud of and how you were involved?
What an unbelievably wild ride it has been! I started my journey as a content writer at a media company and kept evolving as the social media space evolved.
For the past year, I’ve been working on a Gujarati feature film called Fafda Jalebi. It’s an action-comedy about three naïve but honest police officers in pursuit of a Mafia. I’ve been a co-writer and chief assistant director on the project. It releases worldwide in November 2026. It’s all looking great!
How did you find your year at Falmouth?
It felt like being in a dream. My time at Falmouth was challenging, surreal and magical all at once. There are specific challenges that come with being an international student, but Falmouth as a place has magical powers that are bound to leave you in awe of it. I would choose to be back at Falmouth, a hundred times, over and over again.
In terms of the course, the ultimate highlight was collaborating with filmmakers from diverse backgrounds and all corners of the globe, many of whom became close friends. I also loved that I got to experience and explore a deeper dive into the world of sound as a filmmaker, which I never knew was so fascinating to begin with.
In what ways have you brought your learnings from Falmouth to the work you do today?
My time at Falmouth has inevitably made me a better filmmaker today; the learnings were aplenty. Going into the course, I wanted to learn the parts of filmmaking I knew nothing about, in turn making myself a better director. Getting the opportunity to learn more about sound design was the most eye-opening part of it, alongside discovering how to be clearer about what I want and how to be a better collaborator. All of this helped to shape my years after Falmouth.
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