Having presented for the viewers at the recently concluded Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), a film on a man with congenital insensitivity to pain, Vasan Bala possibly knew his offering wasn't a conventional one for the gala. "But you don't really make a film for the festivals," laughs the director, who went on to break norms anyway, and bag the People's Choice title in the festival's Midnight Madness section with Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota.

Having learnt of the condition from a friend, Bala was certain it was a topic he wanted to explore. "You wonder how life would be if things were a certain way. I always [hoped] I never felt pain. But after seeing several documentaries pertaining to the subject, [I realised that] pain is what makes you feel alive."