Small city filmmakers making a big splash on OTTs.

Now, more than often we see shows even made on a small budget with new faces getting popular on OTTs. The Indian audience is getting more content-driven rather than star-driven. They are adapting to good storytelling and unique concepts. That’s where the new generation of filmmakers comes in. Ankit Bhardwaj, 26, is an independent filmmaker from Patna who has made Bihar’s first web series called ‘Litti wala love’ which is streaming on his own YouTube Channel Lahsun Films and his most prominent work, India’s first dual audio short film ‘Woh Khaas’ which is streaming on several OTTs and has been screened in London. His recent short film ‘Populess’ was premiered on MTV.

Ankit has come up with his new music video ‘Kahaan hoon main’ starring Muskaan Sinha, 21, who not only happens to be the singer of this song but also the female lead of his series ‘Litti wala love’ and short film ‘Populess’. She’s an amazing actor and also has a very beautiful voice and ‘Kahaan Hoon main’ is her first single. It’s getting a good review from the listeners and viewers. It depicts the story of a girl from a city who is stuck in a mundane life and has lost her purpose. She then decides to take a break from all the chaos and find the meaning of her life and thus begins her adventurous journey.

We had a conversation with Ankit and Muskaan about their journey through their music video 'Kahaan hoon main.'

Q. Who inspired you to become a musician?

Muskaan: My father. He is a singer and at a very young age he introduced me to music. I can't recall my life without music and he has constantly been the biggest support.

Q. How did you start your filmmaking journey?

Ankit: After my schooling, I went for a degree in Animation where I was first introduced to filmmaking. For some strange reason, I felt a connection. I left my animation career to pursue filmmaking and the rest is history.

Q. How do you think the industry is changing for small town artists?

Muskaan: I think the introduction of OTTs in India has made a huge impact in the way industry works. Back when I was a kid, artists lacked opportunities. Now, thanks to several online streams, they have multiple platforms. However, along with the opportunities, the competition has also increased. Artists with limited resources are coming up with amazing contents which are getting widely appreciated.

Q. What are the hurdles you faced during 'Kahaan Hoon Main'?

Ankit: The song has seen some hard days. It was recorded earlier in September 2021 but due to the lockdowns and landslides the shoot kept postponing. It was finally shot in December in the beautiful mountains of Darjeeling with just a team of two, Muskaan and I. But luck wasn’t on our side even then. A four day planned shoot was cut to half because of an accident Muskaan had and injured her ankle. The rest was shot back in Patna when she got better. Avinash Mishra, another filmmaker from Patna was a huge help in the journey.

Q. Which one’s your favorite scene from the music video Kahaan hoon main?

Muskaan: The whole music video is really close to my heart, but one scene that stayed was when my character was missing her mom, she could feel the void even on her vacations. I'm very close to my mom, so I could totally relate to her.

Q. Do you think having a small team has ever hampered the quality of the films you've made so far?

Ankit: I don't think so. I'm used to making films and doing most of the tasks myself. We used to have a really limited budget but we never let that hamper our production value. I had to learn several things on my own though. Plus, my team consists of multitasking people.

Q. How did you come up with such a melodious tune?

Muskaan: We put a lot of thought into what should be the mood of our first single. Right then, the songwriter of Kahaan Hoon Main Hemang Duggal, a young talented musician from New Delhi came up with this song. We knew this was it. Hemag also helped us in the music production while Ssameer did the mix-master and Abhishek Raj, who is a powerhouse of talent, helped in the recording of the song.

Q. What was your creative process when you were planning the theme and shots for Kahaan hoon main’s music video?

Ankit: The song has this peaceful and tranquil vibe so the first time I heard this, I knew this had to be shot in mountains. The concept is not something out of the ordinary. We see every other corporate employee complaining about having a breakdown and not getting enough time for themselves. This song is just a gentle reminder that nothing comes before your happiness and peace of mind.

'Kahaan Hoon Main' is available on all audio platforms to hear and on Hungama Play, MX player, and YouTube to watch.

Ankit and Muskaan have a lot of projects planned for this year but they are excited about Namak Swaad Anusaar, their most awaited web-series.