Set in present day Bangalore, Sulle Sathya aka The Real Lie is a gripping short film that chronicles the life of one man as he struggles to find answers to questions that plague him day and night. Karthik is a young man struggling to make ends meet working as a salesman. As his life shrugs on, dull and uneventful, he sees Maya, a girl like a fresh breeze in a dream. As the caprices of fate would have it, Karthik and Maya fall in love and get married. Marital bliss is but a blessing to Karthik who has but seen little love in his life. It is as if fate gave everything he ever wanted, all at one go. But their life together is short lived as Maya succumbs suddenly to a strange illness. Left alone and penniless, Karthik learns a devastating truth. But fate also throws in fortune at his feet. Seizing the moment and opportunity, Karthik rises to become a rich man and a successful businessman in due course. He then marries Priya. But happiness is far from reality as life with Priya is tiresome and fraught with frustration. Unable to make their marriage work, Priya deserts him as Karthik tries to stop her in vain.
Left alone to himself, his thoughts and his past, Karthik stand atop a tall building precariously on the ledge, trying to end his life. A step ahead means death. A step forward means life. Balancing himself on the thin line separating life and death, Karthik must answer the questions that have plagued him all his life before he can decide.
Based on The false gems, a french short story by Guy De Maupassant, Sulle Sathya is a starkly realistic take on life in urban Bangalore. Through the characters, we embark on a journey that takes us through the nature of life, reality, illusion and most importantly love.