Anika Krishnaswamy

Flesh model (left) and skull model (right) of Rajasaurus.

Deep in the woodlands of Gujarat—or rather a movie set on the outskirts of LA—a roar echoes through the trees, sending vibrations through the earth. But it’s not a lion! It’s not a tiger! It’s the mighty Rajasaurus.

On Friday, August 17, UChicago’s Fossil Lab held a screening of director Sreejith Nair’s new short film, “Rajasaur.” The first-ever Indian film concerning dinosaurs, “Rajasaur” follows a father (Nair) and daughter’s (Sayanora Sharon) encounter with the vicious Rajasaurus, among other beasts.

Having grown up with dinosaur films—Disney’s Dinosaur was the first movie he ever watched—this was a passion project for Nair, who produced the entire film out of pocket. “I was just so anxious to finally make an Indian dinosaur movie.” Nair also cites cowriter Vaishali Shroff’s children’s book The Adventures of Padma and a Blue Dinosaur as a major source of inspiration.

Rajasaurus was the “first predatory dinosaur” to be discovered in India, said Paul Sereno, head of the Fossil Lab and a member of the team that initially pieced together Rajasaurus in 2001. Sereno introduced the film by sharing insights into the history and significance of Rajasaurus. According to Sereno, the discovery of Rajasaurus was a milestone for India’s paleontology world, comparable to the impact of Tyrannosaurus rex in North America in the early 1900s.

Setting out to bring Rajasaurus to life on the screen, Nair spent a “whole year” on the production of a dinosaur model. Despite the inherently anachronistic inclusion of humans alongside dinosaurs, Nair was committed to ensuring a high level of scientific accuracy in his model, noting the skull and flesh models created by Sereno’s team as key reference material during this process.

Nair also emphasized the decision to blend accuracy with cinematic flare. “[When you watch the film], you’ll notice the orange color on the dinosaur, which was very inspired by the location,” Nair said. “What I loved about that design was that it very much looks like fire.”

The screening concluded with a Q&A session in which Nair discussed the creative process, expressing a desire to produce a sequel if given the chance.

“It’s been quite a journey to get this film off the ground… [but] hopefully it will be the start of many more Indian dinosaur films,” Nair said.