Actor Ankit Siwach is all set to turn co-writer and producer for feature film based in Varanasi. “I have strong connect with the city. In fact it’s Banaras that always chooses me and keeps bringing me back -- be it my first TV show or my very own film.”
His independent acting project Barf is all set to make rounds across international circuits and has been submitted to Sundance and Berlin and will heading to Goa festival as well. “Being a Meerut boy, I own a lot to my region and so the my first independent film had to centred here. Tentatively titled Found and Lost, the project is all set to be shot in Banaras, this month. It’s not easy to make a film but we as a young team hum sab kaam khud kar rahe taaki acchi film ban sakein. Banaras is already on the world map in a big way and that is such proud feeling for all of us,” he says.
“However, unlike traditional small-town narratives, I am attempting an ambitious new genre altogether. We are taking it to a realistic sci-fi level with heavy VFX, aiming for a visual theatrical experience rather than staying strictly in the indie- zone,” he explains.
Drawing inspiration from mythology, the story anchors itself in the city’s timeless nature. “Whatever mystique exists about Banaras that it will be the only city surviving after an apocalypse forms our premise. If I had to give a one-liner, it’s almost the last love story of this world, taking place where humanity endures when everything else is lost,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}Drawing inspiration from mythology, the story anchors itself in the city’s timeless nature. “Whatever mystique exists about Banaras that it will be the only city surviving after an apocalypse forms our premise. If I had to give a one-liner, it’s almost the last love story of this world, taking place where humanity endures when everything else is lost,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}The project marks his third outing in the city, following his debut show Chakravyuha and an unreleased indie feature, Banaras Vanilla. Siwach is headling the project as the male lead while co-writing and producing alongside director Ishaan Jacob.
With his recent release Heartbeats 2, while wearing multiple hats, Siwach clarifies that acting remains central to his career. “I don’t want to lessen my focus on acting just because I’m producing. Making my own film has been a dream, and I’m putting my heart, soul, and resources into it, but I’ll continue balancing both,” he notes.
With a month-long shoot in Banaras and three months of post-production lined up, the film is set to target the theatrical release as well as festival circuit and OTT platforms early next year.