Born in the desert state of Rajasthan, Kartikeya is an Indian filmmaker and cinematographer based in Prague. Growing up around folklore and oral tradition, he developed an early sensitivity to landscape and its ability to retain human and natural memory.
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The initial impulse for each of his films emerges from a particular landscape, long before narrative takes shape. Working at the boundaries between fiction and non-fiction, his films are constructed as a mosaic of images and sounds in which themes and ideas of memory, ecology, postcolonialism, and architecture intersect.

His debut short film Amma, Do Giraffes Cry? will have its world premiere at Visions du Réel in 2026 and is a nominee for the 2026 Doc Alliance Award for Best Short Film, representing Millennium Docs Against Gravity.
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Alongside his directing practice, he works as a cinematographer and colourist. In 2026, he shot his first fiction feature, The Last Colour of Dusk. He is currently completing a Master’s degree in Directing at FAMU and finishing his debut fiction feature, Phir Phir, a film that deepens his exploration into human-animal intimacy.