Though based on a novel, it's a universal story: Ishana Shyamalan on ‘The Watchers’

Ishana Night Shyamalan, the daughter of acclaimed filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, is stepping into the spotlight with her debut film, The Watchers.

Ahead of its release on June 7, the debutant filmmaker is busy promoting the film on various platforms.

She recently spoke to an Indian entertainment portal and said that “as a young woman, it’s inevitable that the ideas of femininity, womanhood, and motherhood are imbued into the things that I write.”

"As a young woman, it’s kind of inevitable that the ideas of femininity, womanhood, and motherhood are imbued into the things that I write. And that very much became the center of the story, which to me is a mother-daughter story between the characters of Madeline and Mina. It really became a grounding factor. But this is not just for a female audience; it feels very muscular, bold, fearsome, and strong. All the women in this film are all of those things. They're very powerful. I hope it transcends stereotypes a bit,” she said.

Adapted from the Irish novel of the same name by A.M. Shine, The Watchers marks a significant milestone for the young filmmaker. Despite its Irish origins, the young filmmaker emphasizes that the story's themes and emotions resonate universally, transcending cultural and geographical boundaries.

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“Though it is based on an Irish novel, I think it's a very universal story—this idea of family, which is our center. There are family dynamics and human relationships at the center of everything. In the film, they’re really a family. Despite the fantasy, thriller, and horror elements, and everything around them, I think it’s really about how people relate to each other and how to find a way to be connected in a world that's really tough to be connected in.”

Distributed worldwide by Warner Bros, The Watchers is set to enter theatres on June 7, 2024. It releases in India on June 14.