film detail – NYIFF – New York Indian Film Festival

Urf (AKA)

Date and Time: Sat, May 13, 3:15 PM

Location: Theatre 3, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY

Director: Geetika Narang Abassi

Starring: Kishore Anand Bhanushali, Prashant Walde, Firoz Khan

Run time: 1 hour 33 minutes 21 seconds

Language: Hindi, with English Subtitles

Year Made: 2022

Country: India

With: Kurosawas Grave ( 14 Mins)

Synopsis:

To look like a film star is one thing, to be a lookalike of one is quite another. The latter comes with a stamp of ‘urf’ or ‘also known as’ for life.

In the alleys of the Hindi film and television industry, they are usually known as duplicates, juniors, body-doubles – the monikers are many. 'Urf' navigates beyond these labels and explores who they truly are – actors, mimics, fans or more.

The film delves into the lives of Kishore Bhanushali, Firoz Khan and Prashant Walde, lookalikes of superstars Dev Anand, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, respectively. Their collective narrative unravels the world of a lookalike, who tends to gain a relatively easy entry into Bollywood but only at the cost of one’s own identity.

The identity conundrum aside, they bring in perspectives on stardom and cinema, mimicry and acting, along with their own dreams and struggles.

Director : Geetika Narang Abassi

Geetika Narang Abbasi is an independent filmmaker based in Gurgaon, India. Her first short fiction, 'Good Night' received awards and critical acclaim at film festivals across the world. The award citation at the International Film Festival of India calls the film a “true to life depiction of human situation through deep touching moments of humor and empathy.” Subsequently, she has edited and directed several documentaries and created media content across a range of subjects. She has collaborated with organizations like Centre for Science and Environment, Landesa, Gates’ Ventures, Microsoft and Public Service Broadcasting Trust, among others. She currently works under the banner of Also Ran Films. Climate change, society and culture have been some of the recurrent themes in her works. Her last documentary 'Much Ado About Knotting' is about matchmaking – arguably India’s favorite pastime that borders on a national obsession. The film enjoyed a successful run at film festivals worldwide.

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