Baba Azmi's short film to be released online

Shabana Azmi's cinematographer brother Baba Azmi has directed a short film entitled Conesty. It is a dialogue between a kidnapper played by a theatre actor Shakir Khan and his victim played by an NSD actor Omi.

The film which is about the art of conning honestly (hence the coinage 'conesty') would now be released online since there are no proper theatrical outlets for short films.

Says Baba, "There's no word like Conesty. But I thought it described the whole cult of conning quite comprehensively. It's a story of trust and betrayal. When Vishal Vijay Kumar came to me with the script I was quite taken up and decided to shoot it. Believe me making a short film was quite a learning experience."

Shabana has been urging me to direct a film forever. My script for a feature has been ready for two years. But it has not taken off for various reasons. In the meanwhile I decided to make this short film of 21 minutes.

Significantly, like most cinematographers-turned-directors Baba chose not to do the cinematography of Conesty. "To handle both direction and cinematography would have been a bit too much. My assistant Shibu has manned the camera. When I make my feature film I won't be doing the cinematography either," explains Baba.

A feature-film next?
"Hopefully soon," says Baba. "Shabana has been urging me to direct a film forever. My script for a feature has been ready for two years. But it has not taken off for various reasons. In the meanwhile I decided to make this short film of 21 minutes. I am overwhelmed by how well it has been received. It certainly encourages me to get on with my feature film."