1920: Cold Winter Teaser — Vikram Bhatt and Himesh Reshammiya Open a Book of Fear
Film teaser
1920: Cold Winter
A Vikram Bhatt Film · A Himesh Reshammiya Musical
Photography by Pravin Talan for the film’s virtual coffee-table book.
I have known Vikram Bhatt, or rather known of Vikram Bhatt, for almost twenty years, having seen his films and remained connected through social media. But this was the first time we worked together.
From Raaz to 1920 and Haunted, Vikram Bhatt has created a distinctive place for himself in Hindi horror, weaving love and emotion into the supernatural. Not to mention his other blockbusters like Ghulam.
Here is the first glimpse of 1920: Cold Winter. Turn up the sound, and take a moment to soak in the cinematic impact.
'1920: COLD WINTER' GETS BIGGER – LEAD CAST ANNOUNCED – HIMESH RESHAMMIYA TO SCORE MUSIC... Some books are written in ink... Some are written in blood... And some were never meant to be opened.
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) October 19, 2026
Moving beyond conventional motion posters and announcement videos, the makers of… pic.twitter.com/biAoawVjUw
A man of few words, he lets his work speak for him. When he showed me his references and how he wanted this virtual coffee-table book to look, it was clear that he knew exactly what he wanted. The play of light, the characters, the drama. I was intrigued.
Selected spreads from the 1920: Cold Winter virtual coffee-table book
Then there was the music. Himesh Reshammiya is a giant of Hindi film music, with melodies from Tere Naam and Namastey London that have stayed with listeners for years. Himesh Reshammiya’s composition, layered with the pages of the book, was soulful, hauntingly mesmerising and very powerful.
Honestly, after working on over forty coffee-table books, I had never really imagined how a virtual one would unfold. Here was Vikram Bhatt introducing his next film, 1920: Cold Winter, through a distinctive and uniquely conceived virtual coffee-table-book teaser.
My only concern was for the photographs. I didn’t want them to get lost in the power of the music!
I realised it wasn’t ten portraits but ten proper cinematic scenes that needed to be shot for the book to unfold as a film teaser. The cinematic lighting, expressions, body language, makeup and styling were all achieved during the shoot. This was an unusual assignment compared with the film posters and publicity shoots I keep doing, where there is not much creative work for a photographer to do.
This felt different and exciting. We created original lighting, mixing flash and LEDs to create an authentic mood with the actors and impactful images without depending much on post-production.
While AI is a useful tool for creating composites and backgrounds, what you see here is the intensity an artist brings to a real photograph.
An exciting day with the lead actors Ahan Shetty, Anya Singh and Larissa Bonesi. We managed to create some excellent shots in limited time. There were no options simply because he wanted no options. I like that clarity of vision in filmmakers. It avoids the problem of having plenty to choose from. In fact, I was quite impressed by how patiently Vikram Bhatt explained to his artists what he wanted from the shoot, the thought behind each scene.
Usually, it takes fifty shots to get five right. With Ahan Shetty, you shoot five and all five are right. He is undoubtedly a one-take artist, with a great future and potential. I loved his professionalism and the fact that he is so humble and polite, carrying forward the legacy of Suniel Shetty.
And my worry about the photographs getting lost in the music? Vikram Bhatt brought it all together beautifully. The photographs, the music and the voice all had their place.
After over forty coffee-table books, here was one that needed the sound turned up.
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