Sydney Film Festival 2026: 'Don’t Tell Mother’ explores complex family relationships in 1990s India

Melbourne-based filmmaker Anoop Lokkur's debut semi-autobiographical film 'Don't Tell Mother' is set in 1990s Bengaluru, India. The film provides a glimpse into the complexities of family and human relationships, and the normalised physical violence in schools in those days. Speaking with SBS Hindi, he reveals his motivation for making the film, the challenges, and the emotional complexities of working with children, the lead actors who are just 5 and 9 years old.