Anurag Kashyap & Vasan Bala Back Mumbai Cab Thriller ‘Aakhri Ride’ for Halloween

When the lights go out on Halloween night in Mumbai, a ride‑share driver finds his world turning upside‑down. That’s the premise of Aakhri Ride, a crisp 15‑minute thriller that’s set to stream worldwide on October 31.

The film is being rolled out on Oh Short Flips, a YouTube channel hand‑picked and curated by none other than Anurag Kashyap. Kashyap and his longtime collaborator Vasan Bala have agreed to present the short, lending their weighty names to a project that feels refreshingly raw.

Behind the camera are first‑time writer‑directors Vijesh Rajan and Yashoda Parthasarthy. The pair—who Kashyap says he’s known since the “Gangs of Wasseypur” days—crafted the story from a very personal place: endless taxi rides after late‑night meetings, where the driver’s private worries silently filled the back seat while passengers chatted or stared out the window.

In Aakhri Ride, Chandan Roy (best known for Panchayat) plays the beleaguered cab driver, with Aamir Dalvi and Faisal Malik adding depth to the cramped, claustrophobic cabin. The narrative steers between horror and dark comedy, hoping to make viewers both laugh and shiver—maybe even think twice about the person behind the wheel next time they book a ride.

Production credits read like a who’s‑who of Indian indie cinema: Anurag Kashyap, Ranjan Singh, Vishesh Agrawal, Rajan EPK and Navaras Pictures are among the producers, while Plexus Motion Pictures and Flip Films handle co‑production duties. Vasan Bala, clearly impressed by Rajan’s VFX chops, called the collaboration a “nano‑second decision, a no‑brainer.”

The short has already been busy on the festival circuit. After debuting in the Short Film Market Picks at Clermont‑Ferrand, it landed slots at genre festivals like BIFAN in Bucheon, Fantasia International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest and a host of Oscar‑ and BAFTA‑qualifying events across the US, Europe and Asia. It’s picking up awards, too—most recently the Silver Audience Award for Best Asian Short at Fantasia, plus top honors at the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival and the Indo Dubai International Film Festival.

All told, Aakhri Ride is a bite‑sized, genre‑bending experiment that tries to spotlight the invisible social divide between passenger and driver, all while delivering a few good scares. Whether you’re a fan of Kashyap’s gritty storytelling or just looking for a Halloween thrill, the short promises a quick, off‑beat ride through Mumbai’s night‑time underbelly.