Aakra-Man!

In a big city, every day senses an undercurrent of a tangled, underlying world of wrong. In the night, it unfolds in the darkest of areas. Crime takes advantage of the 12 hours sun turns away from us, employing all the complications human mind can provide. And someone has to fight it. Someone who loves his city no matter how much he has suffered there. No matter how much lonely he is there. If law isn't suffice, he has all the right to protect his city and armed with conscientious delusions & household weapons he steps out to fight crime. That’s how Aakra-Man would like to look at himself.

Written by Rahul Desai & directed by Mihir Desai (they’re not related!), Aakra-Man (attack) is a story of a man who loves Mumbai. He defines his relationship with Mumbai as an abusive one. And yet he wants to fight crime in the city. Well, which city-loving person with a liking for heroics doesn’t want to? Every superhero is a superhero because he feels his city is worth his powers. And one doesn’t need to have a supernatural power to be a superhero. In the words of Plato, ‘the city is what it is because the citizens are what they are’. Otherwise New York won’t have a Peter Parker. Or Gotham won’t have a Bruce Wayne. But it’s not always possible. Truth is not only stranger than the fiction but also not viable - everyone can’t afford a batcar.

Although presented as a mockumentary, Aakra-Man is no different from batman or spiderman or any other superhero for that matter. Afflicted by personal losses, loneliness & will to do some good in the world, this gentleman steps out in the night to fight the longest battle of mankind: good vs. evil. Inspired by Woody Harrelson starrer Defendor (& the local mosquito killing racket), Aakra-Man buckles up with all the domestic gear he can find helpful. One cannot discard him just as a wannabe-superhero. His delusions have taken control over him but they originate from his unquestionable love for this city. And so like a superhero, he wants to conceal his identity & wants the society to accept this new avatar. Clearly, his unconventional methods do quite the opposite. City is wary about this cape-wearing insomniac & crime is puzzled but not halted. Yet he continues to think that the city needs him.

Recent releases like Kick-Ass, Malegaon Ka Superman, Super etc. bear a similar theme but still Aakra-Man is unique in its own way. In Rahul’s words the concept ‘is so region-centric and charming’. In a city like Mumbai, crime is constantly wary of getting exposed. Aakra-Man hasn’t a slightest of clue what he will do when he confronts a criminal. His delusions push him to acknowledge (& sometimes believe the lie) that crime is out there. When the adrenaline is pumped he may even run away from the delusions temporarily (and also from the crime scene!) but not without exposing crime or making it aware of watchful eyes. And the process crafts dark humor which is ironic of the time he fights crime.  

  

Shot over 3 days & nights on a Canon 7-D, I contributed on technical & design aspects of the film under Mihir’s guidance which was a very good experience. Rahul played Aakra-Man himself & still damns the costume. Being a DIY production, late night shoots were a tad bit risky and we really didn’t rely upon Aakra-Man’s corny line, “Kanun bhi raat ko so jaata hai; kutte ki tarah!” (At night, even the law is asleep like the dogs). But we got through to tell the story. Or rather show the story. The official selection at MAMI’11 and South Asian Film Festival at NYC, Aakra-Man has been released online. We hope to make it a full-length feature film someday, should Aakra-Man let us follow him. Meanwhile, you can watch. And spread the word.