Girl and the Autorickshaw series mentored by Anurag

The Girl & the Autorickshaw(Sarvesh Mewara)
Directed by Sarvesh Mewara
India, 2012, 7 minutes, Hindi, East Coast Premiere
Equality for all is independent India's mantra. But do we really follow this principle?
This film was made under the mentorship of Anurag Kashyap during the humaramovie.com and Wassup Andheri
Film Festival. The theme given was "The Girl and the Autorickshaw".
Director’s bio : Sarvesh Mewara
An Electronic Engineer turned Film Director; Sarvesh Mewara was born in Rajasthan, India, and spent his childhood
in Assam. Movies have always been his passion. During his engineering days, he directed and wrote plays for
several theatre productions. Sarvesh further honed his skills both as a director and writer at Whistling Woods
International, the largest film school in Asia. His films have been applauded and recognized at various film festivals
in the world. Presently living in the heart of the Indian Film Industry, Mumbai, Sarvesh is working on a feature
length script of his own.
The Girl & the Autorickshaw(Raja Sevak & Ram Menon)
Directed by Raja Sevak & Ram Menon
India, 2012, 8 minutes, Hindi, North American Premiere
Shot on an i-phone, this film traces the adventures of a smart girl out to make some quick money- how does this
end for her? Or is she the only smart one here?
This film was made under the mentorship of Imtiaz Ali during the humaramovie.com and Wassup Andheri Film
Festival. The theme given was "The Girl and the Autorickshaw".
Director’s bio : Raja Sevak & Ram Menon
Both Raja Sevak and Ram Menon have been based in Mumbai for many years now. Both have trained as actors and
have done numerous ads, some television and a few feature films as actors. As partners in crime-they have written
the dialogues of a 54 part show on television for Yash Raj Television called 'Kismat' which was telecast on Sony a
year ago. They are in the process of developing feature and short film scripts and made 'The Girl and the
Autorickshaw' for a Festival in Mumbai.
Miss Shoe-Bra Negi
Directed by Barnali Ray Shukla
India, 2012, 13 minutes, Hindi, World Premiere
Shubra, a small town girl in the big city is going through a quarter-life crisis- less loved, low self-esteem,
professional stagnation has convinced her that ending her life might just be the beginning.
Today is the day when she feels overcome with the need to die.
Today also happens to be the day where destiny has plans.
Destiny and Shubra can never have the same plans!
Find out what happens this day with Miss 'Shoe-Bra' Negi.
The film is an insight into the traumas faced by the youth of India today. Nearly one million people worldwide
commit suicide each year, with anywhere from ten million to twenty million suicide attempts, annually. Suicide is
the third leading cause of death for people 10-24 years of age.
Director’s bio : Barnali Ray Shukla
Barnali Ray Shukla studied biology, with microbiology, with plant tissue -culture as her specialization. After having
topped Delhi University she promptly escaped the civil services rigmarole to follow her dreams and not her father's
and moved to Mumbai - sceenwriting and working for her place in the sun. She worked with Mr. Ram Gopal
Varma in her early years - 'Satya' being the most wonderful experience. She has also worked with Sudhir Mishra,
Ekta Kapoor, Goldie Behl and her debut film as a writer-director KUCCH LUV JAISAA released in May 2011. Miss
Shoe”Bra” Negi is her first short film. Its been a totally exhilarating experience for her to go so indie and is now
close to getting started on her next Hindi feature-film...scripting at final stages ..living it ..loving it ...
Time
Directed by Aarti Bagdi
India, 2012, 11 minutes, Hindi, North American Premiere
Based on a story by Ahmed Faiyaz from the collection "Down the Road" by Grey Oaks Publishing- A doctor is
already done for the day but agrees to meet a new patient after persuasion from his assistant. On seeing the
patient who is an old woman, Mrs. Matthews, the doctor is taken aback and realizes she is none other than his
own loving teacher from his school. He is a doctor with an enriched life because of her efforts to make him become
a top student whereas today she is lonely, helpless and broken. Is it time for redeeming good will, gratitude and
love?
Director’s bio : Aarti Bagdi
Aarti Bagdi, has worked extensively with Rajshri Productions as assistant director to Mr. Sooraj Barjatiya, as well as
helped in story and screenplay writing. Having finished her mass communication from Pune, this Chennai girl is
well on the way to becoming a feature film director. Her first is the first Indo- Japanese venture, Tokyo Zing! She is
passionate about music, poetry and generally everything about films. Once in a while she also dabbles into
journalism.
Choice
Directed by Gaurav Bakshi
India, 2012, 7 minutes, Hindi, North American Premiere
Nature or nurture? Destiny or free will? Fate or self-determination?
Most people believe that they don't choose their destiny – birth, parents, the economy etc. is way beyond their
control.
“Choice” is a film about precisely such an individual, who believes that where he landed up in life was destined
because of his childhood circumstances. It introduces you to the wife-beater and the lawyer who fights domestic
violence cases for free, both of whom believe that they had no choice in who they became.
Director’s bio : Gaurav Bakshi
Gaurav Bakshi is an economics graduate from Delhi University and an MBA from IIM Bangalore. After 15 years in
the corporate world as a marketing man with Hindustan Unilever and Seagram among others, he switched tracks
to follow his passion for filmmaking. To familiarize himself with the grammar of the cinematic medium, he did a
short course in direction and filmmaking at The Tisch School at New York University. Once back in India, he gained
on the job experience by working as an Assistant Director on films such as Oye Lucky Lucky Oye which was directed
by Dibakar Bannerjee, Love Khichdi directed by Srinivas Bhashyam and Ishqiya directed by Abhishek Chaubey.
Occasionally consulting for various production houses and writing witty columns recording the ups and downs of a
struggling writer in the big, bad world of films, he is now developing his own projects, both short and feature
length. ‘Reincarnation’, his first short film as a writer-director was an official selection at International Film Festival
of India (Nov 2010), at the Love Your Shorts Film Festival, Florida, US (Feb 2011) and at The South Asia Film Festival
(Dec 2011). His recent short films include ‘Choice’, ‘A Lonely Man’ and ‘The Lesbian’.
Reincarnation
Directed by Gaurav Bakshi
India, 2012, 15 minutes, Hindi, East Coast Premiere
What if Mahatma Gandhi were reincarnated in today’s day and age in India? With little in the form of charismatic
leadership existing in the world, much less India, who would be able to resist following such a man?
Reincarnation is the story of a common man, Siddhartha, who suddenly finds himself the center of a fast growing
following, when news of his dream suggesting he is Mahatma Gandhi reborn, leaks out. The dream is about
Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination and reveals details that only someone who was there could know.
Not just the ordinary public, Siddhartha himself falls prey to his own publicity and increasingly adopts the
mannerisms, garb and words of Bapu. He starts conducting prayer meetings that swell with devout followers every
day. His fame spreads far and wide even reaching the Prime Minister’s ears, who decides to take him along to
Pakistan in a desperate attempt to resolve the never-ending tension between the neighbors.
But who is this man in reality? Could it really be that the great Mahatma has come back to redeem us? Does he go
to Pakistan?
Director’s bio : Gaurav Bakshi
Gaurav Bakshi is an economics graduate from Delhi University and an MBA from IIM Bangalore. After 15 years in
the corporate world as a marketing man with Hindustan Unilever and Seagram among others, he switched tracks
to follow his passion for filmmaking. To familiarize himself with the grammar of the cinematic medium, he did a
short course in direction and filmmaking at The Tisch School at New York University. Once back in India, he gained
on the job experience by working as an Assistant Director on films such as Oye Lucky Lucky Oye which was directed
by Dibakar Bannerjee, Love Khichdi directed by Srinivas Bhashyam and Ishqiya directed by Abhishek Chaubey.
Occasionally consulting for various production houses and writing witty columns recording the ups and downs of a
struggling writer in the big, bad world of films, he is now developing his own projects, both short and feature
length. ‘Reincarnation’, his first short film as a writer-director was an official selection at International Film Festival
of India (Nov 2010), at the Love Your Shorts Film Festival, Florida, US (Feb 2011) and at The South Asia Film Festival
(Dec 2011). His recent short films include ‘Choice’, ‘A Lonely Man’ and ‘The Lesbian’.
Jai Janardhan
Directed by Asmit Pathare
India, 2012, 9 minutes, Hindi, North American Premiere
This film was made under the mentorship of Imtiaz Ali during the humaramovie.com and Wassup Andheri Film
Festival. The theme given was "The Girl and the Autorichshaw". This film was selected by Anurag Kashyap as his
winning pick and also WON the audience award for the best film!
Janardhan - just one of a million in this teaming city of Mumbai. Or is he?
Director’s bio : Asmit Pathare
Asmit Pathare is an engineer who left a career in software development (was working with the Tata Consultancy
Services) to the instability of being in the creative space. Totally dedicated to theater, where he acts, works
backstage and generally loves being involved, he has also moved to films having assisted Mr. Rajat Kapoor in
various aspects. Asmit won the Wassup Andheri Short film festival organized by Humaramovie which has given him
the opportunity to the Assistant Director to Anurag Kashap on his next film, Bombay Velvet. Asmit does not want
to do anything with software or technology anymore!
Ek Bahut Choti Si Love Story
Directed by Annie Zaidi
India, 2012, 9 minutes, Hindi, North American Premiere
He's been watching her -- always at the same corner table, at the same neighborhood cafe.
Is she waiting for someone? One day, he decides to find out.
Director’s bio : Annie Zaidi
Annie Zaidi writes poetry, stories, essays, newspaper columns, scripts and some things in-between. She is the
author of ‘Known Turf: Bantering with Bandits and Other True Tales’, a collection of essays drawing upon
reportage, travel and personal history, and co-written ‘The Bad Boy’s Guide to the Good Indian Girl’ (2011) is a
series of interlinked fictional narratives about young women’s lives in the subcontinent. Her plays ‘Jaal’ and 'So
Many Socks' were staged in 2012, in Mumbai. Other plays have been short-listed for The Hindu Metroplus
Playwright Award and the BBC’s International Playwriting Competition. She has written a short film, Sujata, and
written and directed three short films, 'Engine', 'Ek Bahut Choti si Love Story' and 'Ek Red Colour ki Love Story'.
An Encounter
Directed by Aadish Keluskar
India, 2012, 6 minutes, Hindi, North American Premiere
What is violence against women? This film was made under the mentorship of Anurag Kashyap during the
humaramovie.com and Wassup Andheri Film Festival. The theme given was "The Girl and the Autorickshaw". This
film was selected by Imtiaz Ali as the most impactful and was his winning pick.
Director’s bio : Aadish Keluskar
Aadish Vasudev Keluskar is a second year student at the Film and Television Institute of India. He received a Special
Jury Mention at the International Digital Film Festival in New Delhi, 2012 for his short film about a child killer, ‘Zero
by Zero’. He claims that he started making films in order to remain sane and non-criminal.
The Girl & the Autorickshaw(Ankit Tripathi)
Directed by Ankit Tripathi
India, 2012, 9 minutes, Hindi, North American Premiere
Across that table, covered with a bland bluish tablecloth, Manas pulls Brinda into his tales of rebellion, murder and
love. His impressions lead us deep into the secret of his being. Everything, which ever mattered to him were in the
Girl and the Autorickshaw, which still remain afresh. This film was made under the mentorship of Imtiaz Ali during
the humaramovie.com and Wassup Andheri Film Festival. The theme given was "The Girl and the Autorickshaw".
Director’s bio : Ankit Tripathi
Ankit Tripathi is from the city of Kanpur in North India. He is a proponent of cinéma d'auteur and considers film as
one of the most powerful tool of self-expression in the modern era. He graduated as a Mechanical engineer from
the Indian Institute of Technology. Presently he works for an investment bank as a manager pursuing his passion
for films and filmmaking during after office hours. He has a profound love for music and plays a guitar. He is
equally interested in philosophy and political science. His first short film 'Hexis' was screened at the International
Film Festival of India, Goa, 2011.
Roundtrip
Directed by Rohon Nag & Pushkaraj Shirke
India, 2012, 6 minutes, Hindi, North American Premiere
What is your reality? Are you going to make your own destiny? A girl's simple story of self-realization. This film was
made under the mentorship of Anurag Kashyap during the humaramovie.com and Wassup Andheri Film Festival.
The theme given was "The Girl and the Autorickshaw".
Director’s bio : Rohon Nag & Pushkaraj Shirke
Pushkaraj Shirke: An advertising copywriter by profession, he grew up on books and films. Despite having a major
in psychology he took to advertising as it required him to be imaginative every day. Being in advertising also
afforded him the privilege of understanding how films are actually made. Finally after seven years in advertising,
last year he started directing ad films and pursued a long-standing dream of studying film at the New York Film
Academy in New York City. Since then there has been no turning back for Pushkaraj. The next dream remains
making the kind of films that Bollywood dosen’t have the courage to make and aspires to win an Oscar one day.
Rohon Nag: Rohon has been living though movies since a very early age. So when opportunity presented itself, he
dropped out of engineering school to pursue a course of Bachelor of Multi-Media from one of the best institutes in
India. In 2003 his team and he made their first animated short film, it won the worldwide machinima competition
by Rockstar games USA. This gave me the confidence to start my own production company in 2007. In the same
year their first in-house short film won at many independent film festivals and since then, there has been no
looking back. Rohon has been involved in countless creative projects such as short films, experimental music
videos, Ad films etc. Writing, Scripting and working on concepts are his forte.
Happy Journey
Directed by Hemant Sharma
India, 2012, 6 minutes, Hindi, North American Premiere
Would Gandhi have done this? This film was made under the mentorship of Anurag Kashyap during the
humaramovie.com and Wassup Andheri Film Festival. The theme given was "The Girl and the Autorickshaw".
Director’s bio : Hemant Sharma
Hemant Sharma aspires to make a mark in Hindi cinema as a director and writer. He draws inspiration from Martin
Scorsese, Woody Allen and Stanley Kubrick’s films. Crime, thriller, drama and humor are his favorite genres.
Though a commerce graduate, he took to filmmaking after a 2-year course from Rai University, Delhi. In the last
five years of his television experience, he has worked for The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and some reality
shows. He also plays tabla and is a fan of Bollywood songs.
Adrak
Directed by Sahirr Sethhi
India, 2012, 6 minutes, Hindi, East Coast Premiere
A souvenir photographer at Gateway of India (Mumbai) is drawn by the sudden urge to photograph a stranger. She
doesn't speak his language. They are worlds apart.
Director’s bio : Sahirr Sethhi
Sahirr Sethhi is a filmmaker from Mumbai, India. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Advertising from The
Wilson College. Upon graduation he was accepted into India’s premiere film school, Film and Television Institute of
India for the postgraduate screenwriting program. Straight out of film-school went on to gain experience on
feature-film productions while developing his feature film screenplays. He has worked as a Production Assistant
on Ang Lee’s forthcoming film – Life of Pi and the recently released Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. He was also
a Script-Supervisor on Indian productions like My Friend Pinto and A Prayer for Rain.
Currently, Sahirr is pursuing an MFA in Film Directing at UCLA. He is a Tata Scholar and also received the 2012
Motion Picture Association of America Award at UCLA. He is now in post-production for his upcoming first-year
student film, 'Another Day' that he recently shot in Los Angeles. He aspires to write and direct films with
humanistic stories and universal themes in India and internationally.
Signalwala Ladka
Directed by Pramod Pathak
India, 2012, 6 minutes, Hindi, North American Premiere
A woman meets a young boy selling books at a traffic light. While she does not buy any books from him, she does
give him a lift to the next signal. Her conversation with the boy opens up some interesting revelations to her about
his life and her attitude.
Director’s bio : Pramod Pathak
Pramod Pathak is an actor, director, social worker, writer - you name it! One of the most accomplished actors
today (latest being the Gangs of Wasseypur) his work with the remand home kids was converted into a film by
Anurag Kashyap called Pramod Bhai. Pramod is presently working on directing his feature film.