New Delhi, July 25 -- There is a stillness to The Ink-Stained Hand and the Missing Thumb. Yashasvi Juyal's assured debut, which premiered at the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic earlier this month, asks its audience for patience, unfolding in long, static takes that linger on faces, silences and pauses. In doing so, Juyal gradually draws viewers into the emotional world of Santosh and Rajji, two toll booth workers negotiating love, aspiration and loss in the fictional town of Nagina in Uttarakhand.

The toll booth is an inspired metaphor-a place thousands pass through but few notice, much like the workers inside it. Santosh (played by Dheeraj Kumar) dreams of securing a permanent job close to home; his p...