Hyderabad filmmaker’s documentary captures a mountaineer’s tenacity on Reo Purgyil

In debut director Shourya Sreekere’s documentary Reo: The Dangerous Peak, Telangana mountaineer Yashwanth Naik and his guides are stranded for six days during their ascent to Reo Purgyil. With inclement weather conditions pausing their journey, they can do nothing but wait. The mountaineer, though not a stranger to challenging expeditions such as Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Elbrus, gives in to moments of fear and doubt.

The 28-minute English-Hindi film, while highlighting the physical and mental strength required of young mountaineers, puts forth a story of courage, resilience and effort. The documentary traces Yashwanth’s journey as he attempts to scale Reo Purgyil, the 6,816-meter peak in Himachal Pradesh. Mountaineers consider this peak to be one of the toughest and most dangerous owing to unpredictable weather conditions, avalanche risks and its location in the remote Kinnaur-Tibet region.

For Shourya, a 20-year-old, second-year mass communication and journalism student from St. Joseph’s Degree College, Hyderabad, there is enough reason to cheer. Reo: The Dangerous Peak is a part of the official selection of documentaries at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) 2026 in the competition section, and the non-competitive section of International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) 2026.

Shourya states that he has always been fascinated by the mountains and their stories. When he heard about Yashwanth Naik’s expedition to Mount Reo Purgyil, he wanted to document it and through it, highlight the determination, fear, sacrifice, and resilience of mountaineers. He adds that very few have attempted to scale Reo since the first ascent reportedly in 1971 by an Indo-Tibetan Border Police team.

“All the drama in the film,” says Shourya, referring to the conversations between Yashwanth and his guides (Rency Thomas, Yogi Raj and Raina) in the wake of uncertainty, “is not manufactured. These conversations reflect the challenges faced by Yashwanth.”

The documentary’s theme goes beyond scaling a peak or revelling in its success. It sends out a message to viewers on the need to pursue their dreams despite setbacks or limitations beyond their control.

Reo was filmed in August 2025 during Yashwanth’s expedition. Shourya admits that he could not proceed with the journey owing to health issues. However, cinematographer Akshat Jain who specialises in mountaineering documentaries, accompanied Yashwanth and the guide and filmed the footage. “He had a challenging task of handling the camera, drone and batteries all by himself,” says Shourya. For the documentary, Shourya referenced films such as Poorna, Meru and 14 Peaks.

The film held its first public screening in Tirupati early this year for an audience that included filmmakers, mountaineering enthusiasts, and supporters of independent cinema. 

Reo has a young crew in their 20s, including editor Chandan Sai Madineni and music composer Sudha Srinivas P. 

Shourya reveals that he found himself drawn to cinema at the age of 13. “I aspired to be an actor but later gravitated towards direction.” Through online resources and workshops, he began experimenting with making short films. “Reo is the first film that I am confidently putting out for public screenings,” says the director who aspires to make a feature film in the near future.