Filmmaker Statement

The idea for Baba Jee came to me in 2019 while still in university. I executed a 5 minute short film for a film course assignment in fifth semester which had a similar plot to Baba Jee. I wanted Baba Jee to be this undefeatable macho character - a psychopathic coldblooded killer who no one would mess with. I had been in the process of developing this story ever since and was fortunate enough to execute this idea of mine for in 2021. This neo-western crime short attempts to tell the story of two rats – one’s a psychotic undercover cop while the other double-crosses his gangster boss by not following his orders. Both the characters are rats in their own ways – disobedient and disloyal. They end up paying the ultimate price for being unfaithful to their work and themselves. Set in Karachi, the characters are heavily inspired by the 1990s gang-war in the metropolis. I grew up surrounded by terrorism and violence in the city which had a major impact on my vision as a storyteller.