Actor Alok Kumar in a still from Aakhiri Munadi

PEOPLE

Filmmaker, writer and actor, Ahsan Baksh's 15-minute film Aakhiri Munadi, is competing at the Italian River to River Festival. He tells italk why movies are all about showcasing the obvious

"When I watch a movie, I have only two reactions: 'Oh my God, does this actually happen?' and 'Yes, I know this happens, I am glad I got to see it'. I want to make movies that evoke the latter," says 38 year-old Ashan Baksh. Baksh's short film, Aakhiri Munadi (The Last Announcement) will be competing at the Italian River To River Festival on December 10.

The tale of a Munadi, a man who announces the latest news in his village, by beating a drum is inspired by a man, Baksh once met. "When I was at The National School of Drama, one of the actors in a play was a babu at a municipal office. He was corrupt, yet religious." The meeting gave rise to a script that revolves around Munadi realising that the municipal chairman of his town is dishonest. He then regrets having made announcements in his name all along. In the last announcement of his career, he makes sure the villagers realise that the chairman is the villain.

Film without actors

Baksh says the charm of the movie lies in that no professional actors have been cast. They are all locals from Kumaon, a town in Uttaranchal, where the movie was shot. Baksh for one, is thrilled that he gets to show-off his hometown to the world. "Kumaon is beautiful. I was adamant we shoot there. It's amazing to use a real village as the backdrop," he says, sipping on a frothy Cappuchino.

Working with Aamir

But it's not always been about directing movies for this filmmaker. He started off as an actor with bit roles in Paap and Aamir Khan's The Rising. And that's where he met Aamir Khan. "I have learnt so much from him. He is a pukka professional," Baksh gushes, adding shyly however, that it's Naseeruddin Shah who's his favourite.

Baksh has also dabbled in television soaps, because that's the money is. He scripted Amber Dhara, the story of conjoined twins, a hit on Sony. "The problem with writing a soap is that you have to abide by the channel's rules. They don't want anything other than saas-bahu sagas. I write soaps for money, and make movies for myself."

A feature film is next

He has already started work on a full-length feature film, which will be set in the Himalayas. "I just hope Aakhiri Munadi works on the international stage, because only then does it stand a chance in India," he says wistfully, and quickly adding, "I'm sure it will. Right? Good cinema always does."