Anurag Kashyap and Vasan Bala Present New Mumbai Short Thriller Aakhri Ride

Filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Vasan Bala are presenting the new short thriller "Aakhri Ride," which releases worldwide on Oct. 31 on the YouTube channel Oh Short Flips, a platform curated by Kashyap.

Cast And Crew

Vijesh Rajan and Yashoda Parthasarthy wrote and directed the project, marking their first film together. The story follows a Mumbai ride-share driver pushed to his breaking point over a single Halloween night. Chandan Roy and Aamir Dalvi lead the cast, with Faisal Malik also appearing in the film. Ranjan Singh, Vishesh Agrawal, Rajan EPK and Kashyap produced the project, backed by Navaras Pictures in association with Plexus Motion Pictures and Flip Films.

Background And Inspiration

The writer-directors came up with the idea during long taxi rides home after work meetings, noting the invisible social divide between passengers and drivers who carry heavy personal worries. They mixed horror and comedy to explore this gap through a man weighed down by daily troubles. Kashyap noted he has worked with the pair since his "Gangs of Wasseypur" days, while Bala praised Rajan's previous VFX skills and storytelling talent.

Festival Run

The film traveled across an extensive festival circuit before its public release, including selections at Clermont-Ferrand, BIFAN, Fantasia International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, Florida Film Festival, Austin After Dark, Wench, Fantaspoa, events in Rhode Island and San Jose, Italy's Absurd Film Festival, France's Red Movie Awards, Cannes Indie Shorts, and New York Indie Shorts Awards. It won the Silver Audience Award for best Asian short at Fantasia, best film at the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival, best Indian short at the Indo Dubai International Film Festival, and finished as second runner-up at BISFF.

Context

Short films frequently build an audience and critical reputation through international festival circuits before releasing on digital platforms. YouTube channels like Oh Short Flips provide independent filmmakers with a direct global distribution route to reach viewers outside traditional theatrical windows.