SHORT BIO
Arkish Aftab is an award-winning writer, director, and editor based in Mumbai. Originally from Assam, he
is a graduate from AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia (Delhi). His work tends to explore complex narratives
which sit in the intersection of tender and dark.
His debut short, Rat in the Kitchen (2023), released on JioHotstar as part of the JioCinema Film festival.
He won ‘Best Debut Director’ at the Independent Short Awards in Los Angeles. Khauf is his second film
as writer–director.
FILMOGRAPHY
Rat in the Kitchen, Short (2023)
Khauf, Music Film (2025)
Was there a particular event or time that you recognized that filmmaking is your way of telling stories?
I found filmmaking by fate and accident. I grew up obsessively watching thrillers and horror films,
always drawn to stories that unsettle and provoke. However, I never pursued that aspect of me.
During my Master’s degree in History, I hit a rough patch and was disoriented with the direction my
life was headed towards. A friend mentioned the Mass Communication entrance at Jamia a day before
the exam. I went unprepared, cleared the written round, then entered the interview and spoke about
a film that I had recently watched and loved – The Man from Earth.
Getting selected into AJK MCRC changed everything. For the first time, I felt like I had stepped into the
world I was meant to inhabit. That’s where my love story with cinema truly began.
Do you think it is essential to go to a film institute in order to become a successful filmmaker?
Not essential, but it can help. Film school expanded my worldview, gave me structure, and exposed
me to cinema as a craft and a discipline. But I know filmmakers who never went to film school and still
create raw, soulful work. Skills can be learned. The voice is what matters.
Is it harder to get started or to keep going? What was the particular thing that you had to conquer to do either?
Getting started, without a doubt. For years, I held back because I thought I wasn’t “ready” to direct. I
also happen to be an introvert in an industry full of extroverts so that was another factor that ate
away at me.
But I had a script which I really thought would make for a very interesting film. It took 5 years to find
the right producer and collaborator to make it. But that’s how Rat in the Kitchen (my first short)
happened.
Keeping it going after the first film has its challenges too, but nothing compared to taking that first
leap.
What was the most important lesson you had to learn that has had a positive effect on your film? How did that lesson happen?
Trust your gut.
I had to take a crucial call when we were to shoot a dawn scene on a dirty beach. It was between
doing patch up shoot on another day or shift to a cleaner beach which was further away. I chose the
latter and we were all thankful for it because it ended up saving us an entire day of production.
What were the production realities from casting through editing that you had to accommodate? How did you navigate those compromises or surprises and still end up with a cohesive film?
Khauf was ambitious, perhaps wildly so. We had planned across seven locations in two nights. Casting
Aditi Sivaraman, the lead, was a clear choice, as she has a rare presence that perfectly suited the
character. And she was also immensely collaborative and patient. The film had a one-take fight
sequence, a chase, and a dance-duel on a terrace, which required her to be in front of the camera at
all times.
One interesting anecdote from the shoot was we only had 3 sugar bottles for the fight scene. And
there was huge pressure on Aditi to land the right blow in which the bottle would break on the goon’s
head, because it was a one-take. Thankfully we got it on the second one. We even had to improvise
and shift locations unexpectedly, which forced us to be resourceful and fast on our feet. Our lean but
exceptional team, from the production designers, the HMU team, the lighting crew, and everyone else
really pushed beyond limitations and helped us achieve this feat.
Post-production came with its own set of hurdles. One of which was achieving a futuristic cyberpunkinfluenced
Mumbai that felt authentic, not gimmicky. Our VFX artist, Ayush Pillai, designed the
cityscape and holograms with incredible detail, supported by grading artist Ayush Badrike, who
enhanced Mumbai into a world.
What was the hardest artistic choice you made in the making of a film, at any stage in production?
There was a shot in my first film which was a beautiful silhouette of the protagonist entering the
kitchen. But it was not quite fitting in the flow of the edit. I tried everything, making it shorter, longer,
music. But I ultimately had to sacrifice that shot. So that’s definitely something that I learnt.
Sometimes you must kill your darlings for the bigger picture.
You are a collaborator. How have you discovered members of your team and how do you keep the relationship with them strong?
I lean on a few trusted people who recommend like-minded collaborators and with whom I have built
a rapport over the years. One of them is Niharika Bordoloi. The producer and co-creator on Khauf. She
was the one who introduced me to our DP, Arun Damodaran. And through similar recommendations
we created the rest of our efficient crew to pull this off.
Film is a collaborative process and I believe that everyone who comes on board brings their own piece
of magic to the film. I think leaning into this collaborative spirit has helped me build lasting creative
relationships.
What do audiences want? And is it the filmmaker’s role to worry about that?
I don’t know what audiences want, and I try not to chase that answer. But I do think people respond
to honesty, to the filmmaker revealing something true rather than trying to please. I try to tap into
that honesty as much as I can and make something that feels necessary, not convenient. If it’s honest,
it will find its people.
What role have film festivals played in your life so far? Why are they necessary? How do you get the most out of them?
Festivals like STTP give films like ours a life beyond our immediate circles. They become a gateway to
audiences we would never reach otherwise.
Every selection or win gives the entire project and team a boost, as it tells us that the work is
resonating across different, varied geographies and people.
Do you believe that a filmmaker should be original and fresh or he/she should stick to classic but safe
cinema style?
I personally like to watch fresh and original work and I think every filmmaker should experiment until
they discover a voice that is unmistakably their own.
