Anurag Kashyap and Vasan Bala are backing a new short thriller that lands on YouTube this Halloween. Aakhiri Ride, directed by Yashoda Parthasarthy and Vijesh Rajan, stars Panchayat actor Chandan Roy with Aamir Dalvi, while Faisal Malik appears in a special role.
The essentials
- Premieres: October 31 on Oh Short Flips
- Cast: Chandan Roy, Aamir Dalvi, Faisal Malik
- Presented by: Anurag Kashyap and Vasan Bala
- Directors: Yashoda Parthasarthy and Vijesh Rajan
A one-night thriller born in a Mumbai cab
The directors told Hindustan Times that the idea began on their own long drives across Mumbai. Again and again they noticed drivers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who were visibly under pressure, making urgent calls to arrange money between rides.
Vijesh Rajan remembered one driver in particular: he was panicked on the phone, and although the dialect made every word hard to follow, it was clear he needed cash quickly. That contrast — two filmmakers sitting comfortably in the back while the man driving them fought to make ends meet — became the starting point.
The team also sees the film as a tribute to 1990s Hindi cinema. An honest hero, a sister’s wedding, a late-arriving villain and a cop who turns up at the end all get pushed into a darker ride-share setting.
How Chandan Roy and Faisal Malik joined
Yashoda Parthasarthy said casting Chandan Roy was not an obvious step, at least in her mind. When her mother suggested the actor, she doubted a star from a hit series like Panchayat would say yes to a short film. Later, the casting team independently made the same suggestion, and the hesitation fell away.
The part needed someone who looked dedicated to his work and carried a little innocence — and Roy fitted. Yashoda described him as humble, intelligent and technically sound, and said he would often ask to try a line again.
Faisal Malik, also known from Panchayat, came on board because Yashoda could already hear his voice while writing the character Scam Raju. When they approached him, he loved the script and agreed.
What Anurag Kashyap’s sets taught them
Both filmmakers entered the industry through Anurag Kashyap’s world. Vijesh Rajan worked on Gangs of Wasseypur and even had a small role in it, while Yashoda worked with Kashyap on Raman Raghav 2.0.
Vijesh said the Gangs of Wasseypur set never felt heavy with hierarchy. Kashyap spoke to everyone, from spot boys to actors, and treated the shoot as a collaborative playground. He described a director who “wings it”, leaves room for accidents and waits for people to surprise him.
Yashoda added that Kashyap pushes people to find their own voice. The goal, she said, is not a closed circle but a growing industry with more filmmakers, more good films and better choices for audiences.
Source: Hindustan Times