Vighnesh Dheenadhayalan in Mirrors: A Dual Role That Reflects a Singular Talent

New Delhi : Mirrors (2025), a short psychological drama gaining momentum on the indie circuit, is quickly establishing itself as a standout work—not just for its minimalist aesthetic and narrative tension, but for Vighnesh Dheenadhayalan’s deeply layered performance in dual roles. Both on-screen and off, Vighnesh proves himself to be a multidimensional force in contemporary independent artistry.

Vighnesh takes on the challenge of portraying two distinct characters: Surya, an intense, calculating interviewer, and The Protagonist, a troubled, introspective man whose past remains fragmented and unresolved. The film’s pivotal moment is a quiet but charged interview scene—tense, clinical, and emotionally ambiguous—where both characters sit face-to-face.

The catch? If you haven’t caught it already, they both look exactly alike.

This central conceit isn’t just a visual trick—it’s the emotional and philosophical core of the film. The mirroring is literal and symbolic. Surya presses The Protagonist with pointed, and what seems like a familiar line of questioning between the characters, while the audience slowly comes to realize that the interrogation is internal. It’s man vs. self, in the most direct cinematic terms.

The brilliance of Vighnesh’s acting lies in how sharply he distinguishes Surya and the Protagonist without relying on overt makeup, costuming, or gimmick. Instead, he shifts tone, posture, cadence—Surya speaks in clipped, clinical tones, while the Protagonist is halting, lost in thought. It’s a nuanced, actor-driven duality that earned him a Best Actor win at the New York Movie Awards.

The interview scene in particular is layered and embodies themes of meta psychological confrontation—a standout scene that helped propel Mirrors to multiple recognitions in film festivals around the world. And here at home, Mirrors has taken Kolkata by storm, winning awards from the Cult Critic Movie Awards and the Virgin Spring Cine Fest.

In addition to acting, Vighnesh also wrote, edited, and conceived the visual structure of Mirrors. His behind-the-camera influence is especially felt in how the duality is framed—symmetrical compositions, reflections, and blurred perspective lines force the viewer to constantly re-evaluate who is interrogating whom.

Collaborating with cinematographer Christopher Dylan Riquelme and composer Dexter Maxwell, Vighnesh crafted a visual and auditory tone that is both eerie and introspective. The edit, which he executed himself, uses long silences, abrupt cuts, and overlapping voiceovers to disorient and engage—making the viewing experience feel almost dreamlike. This creative team’s work is one to watch out for!

Whether in front of or behind the camera, Vighnesh Dheenadhayalan has delivered a rare kind of short film: one that sticks. Mirrors isn't just a title—it’s a motif, a structure, and ultimately, a reflection of the singular talent at its center.