Babli by Night is filmmaker Neel Soni's quest for trans freedom
In an exclusive chat with GAY TIMES, Soni talks about his BAFTA-nominated documentary that spotlights a trans forest guard's relationship with their family and nature.
Words Darshita Goyal
“This is a story about hope and resilience more than adversity or being ostracised from society,” says filmmaker Neel Soni about his debut documentary Babli by Night. Centred around the life of Babban, a trans, Muslim forest guard, the striking short film has been long listed for the 2025 BAFTA Student Awards in the Documentary category. At 23, Soni emerged as the only Indian creative to be nominated for the acclaimed title, selected from a pool of over 1000 applicants from around the world.
Set in the northern Indian forests of Uttarakhand, the film follows Babban as they navigate resistance and indifference from their family and society only to find acceptance within the sanctuary of nature. “The forest saved my life. The birds and animals here gave me more love than my family ever could, it slowly healed me," the protagonist shares in the documentary. In glimpses, we see Babban shapeshift: by day, they dress the part of a tough guard in khaki and when the sun falls, Babli comes to life wearing embroidered kurtas, silver rings and nails painted a deep vermilion – serendipitously a colour that is most often associated with female fertility in India.
Having grown up in New Delhi as a wildlife photographer and conservationist, Soni stumbled into Babban over a decade ago and now, as a recent film graduate from Pratt Institute, the creative hopes to take their story to global platforms. The film is also executive produced by two leading stalwarts of cinema – Leena Yadav, acclaimed for Parched and House of Secrets, and Swati Thiyagarajan, the producer of Oscar-winning docu My Octopus Teacher.
In conversation with GAY TIMES, Soni discusses the making of Babli by Night, the impact of the forest on Babban’s journey, and the challenges of crafting an honest narrative where trans identity is more matter-of-fact than a source for sensationalism.
Hey Neel, congratulations on making the BAFTA long list, especially as the only Indian on there! How does it feel?
It feels great honestly. We were struggling with festivals because we have a little bit of a weird runtime – it’s 24 minutes – which is a little long for a short film. So when this recognition came, it meant everything to me, and more than me, it was Babban’s story that I had taken the responsibility of telling to the best of my ability. So the validation of being seen and heard is the most rewarding.