Mihir Desai and Rahul Desai (no relation) are the minds behind a very unique tribute to their home city, Mumbai. This duo got together to make Aakra-Man, a mockumentary which follows the protagonist, Aakra-Man, in his quest to keep Mumbai safe. Not only did Rahul write the screenplay, but he also plays Aakra-Man in the film, while Mihir directed the movie under the banner of his production house Auteur Mark. The short film has been screened at the Mumbai Film Festival and the South Asian Film Festival, New York and has received much critical acclaim. We spoke to the director of the film, Mihir Desai about the making of Aakra-Man and what’s next for Mumbai’s masked vigilante.
Who came up with Aakra-Man?
The character of Aakra-Man was created by Rahul Desai, who also wrote the screenplay and acted in the film. After that it was a collaborative process of fleshing the character out enough so we strike a balance between making him believable yet ‘out-of-place.”
Aakra-Man has a lot of notable influences from superheroes such as Defendor, the Mystery Men and The Spirit. Is this movie a homage to these movies or did you guys want to do something that was distinctly Mumbai or Indian?
We live in a society where we are always being judged. Every time. So much so that sometimes we end up forcibly changing things about ourselves so we feel accepted. No matter how welcoming Mumbai is, it can sometimes treat you like an outsider. Aakra-Man is one of them, or one of us! His motivations don’t necessarily come from a personal loss or any terrorist attacks. His inner-conflict or struggle is to constantly be accepted for who he is. That’s what dictates his actions of wearing a suit, trying really hard to speak Marathi and ofcourse ‘fighting crime.’ As for Defendor, that was just a reference in terms of the appearance of the character and not his behaviours or motivations. Aakra-Man isn’t a homage to other superhero films. It’s just an honest love-letter to Mumbai, a city that has been constantly changing but hasn’t really evolved.
How long did it take for you guys to make the film?
Once Rahul finished his draft, we decided to spend most of our time on pre and post-production, so shooting becomes quick, well-organized and easy. We first held auditions but eventually decided that Rahul should play the lead. After fleshing out the character further, Rahul did a wonderful job of working on the physical attributes, like body language, voice and learning Marathi! Shooting took about three nights. We shot on my Canon 7D and most B-Roll footage on my iPhone 4! It took us a little over a week to come up with the final cut of the film, from the pre-production stage.
How has the reception for the film been so far and do you have some more projects lined up in the near future?
The film had its Mumbai premiere at the Mumbai Film Festival 2011, after which it had its international premiere in New York at the South Asian International Film Festival. (It) didn’t win anything, but got a great reaction across the board. Those who watched it, besides loving the film, they ‘got’ what we were trying to say.
As for future projects, we plan to use this short as a pitch for the Aakra-Man feature that Rahul is currently writing. He keeps writing he has a bank of scripts. In the meantime, I am in the process of completing my documentary, Common Thread, that has been in the making for a while!
Aakra-Man [Exclusive Clip] from Mihir Desai on Vimeo.
You can download the background score, watch the trailer and find out more about Aakra-Man here.
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