#horror – #PressRelease – #AakhriRide – #AnuragKashyap – #VasanBala – #NavarasPictures – #ShortFilm – #Halloween –
A Ride-Share Driver’s Worst Night in Mumbai Heads to YouTube After a Global Genre Festival Run
Indian filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Vasan Bala have signed on to present Aakhri Ride, a short film that mixes horror and comedy across a single Halloween night in Mumbai, as first reported by Variety. The short is set to debut worldwide on Oct. 31 through Oh Short Flips, a YouTube channel curated by Kashyap.
The film is the first from writer-directors Vijesh Rajan and Yashoda Parthasarthy, and it centers on a ride-share driver who gets pushed to his breaking point over the course of one terrifying shift. He is so buried in his everyday problems that he fails to notice exactly what he has let into his car. The duo said the concept grew out of long cab rides home from meetings, when they began noticing how little they knew about the drivers ferrying them around, men often juggling family back home and money troubles on their phones. Chandan Roy (Panchayat) and Aamir Dalvi (Kennedy) lead the cast, with Faisal Malik (Panchayat) also appearing.
Kashyap has known Rajan and Parthasarthy since the days of Gangs of Wasseypur, and Bala praised Rajan’s visual effects talents, calling the decision to get involved an easy one. The directors summed up what they want audiences to take away, per Variety: “We hope viewers laugh, get spooked, and maybe think a little about the person driving them home.”
Aakhri Ride kicked off its festival life in the Short Film Market Picks at Clermont-Ferrand before playing genre showcases BIFAN in Bucheon, Fantasia and Fantastic Fest, along with stops including Florida Film Festival, Austin After Dark and Fantaspoa. It took home the Silver Audience Award for best Asian short at Fantasia, best film at the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival and best Indian short at the Indo Dubai International Film Festival.
Writers/Directors: Vijesh Rajan, Yashoda Parthasarthy
Presented By: Anurag Kashyap, Vasan Bala
Cast: Chandan Roy, Aamir Dalvi, Faisal Malik
Producers: Ranjan Singh, Vishesh Agrawal, Rajan EPK, Anurag Kashyap
Production: Navaras Pictures, in association with Plexus Motion Pictures and Flip Films
Release: Oct. 31 on YouTube’s Oh Short Flips
Source: Reporting and confirmation via Variety.