Anish Shah

Religion: Cricket 🏏

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

Cricket haters FYI:

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

They keep running narratives that Indians are obsessed with milestones.
Just curious—what would have England done if Root was batting, needed 11 for a hundred, and the opposing captain offered a draw?
#ENGvsIND

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

Test cricket is life in whites — skill, patience, and a bit of luck. Sometimes you win, sometimes you grind. But you always come back, fight again. 🏏
#ENGsvIND

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

#PaatalLokSeason2 – what a ride! Stellar performances by every actor. Loved how they subtly touched politics & highlighted the Northeast India issue with authenticity, genuine acting talent, real language, no fake accents. And Hathi Ram Choudhary as a cop? Absolute love! ❤️👏"

[Harsha Bhogle @bhogleharsha]

The one thing that never changes is the enormous feeling of emptiness when a big series ends. It is such a big part of your life, your thoughts and your conversations for a few weeks that when it is over, you suddenly feel empty.

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

Seeing Vinod Kambli at yesterday’s Ramakant Achrekar ceremony was heartbreaking. It reminded me of Shaw and how he could follow a similar path if not careful. He’s a generational talent. Hope he takes this setback on the chin and makes a comeback for the ages. #PrithviShaw

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

Back then, he took on every ball eagerly. Now he allowed to send the nightwatch ahead and risks singles late in the day to avoid facing slow left arm spin. Once a mental giant, his strongest asset, he's now grappling with his own mental battles. #ViratKohli

[Raj & DK @rajndk]

6 Years Of Stree... A Trip Down Memory Lane

26th August 2017
I watched the rain lashing outside my window. I could see our film, A Gentleman, that released yesterday, wash away... literally.

We knew what was coming! Two back-to-back studio films failed… Typically, this type of situation means the end of a filmmaking career.

Later that evening with a heavy heart, I walked out in foot deep water to a coffeeshop with my laptop. Took a long hard look at where DK & I started, what we set out to do, and where we were drifting to. We wanted to make original films, unique films, not the packaged kind. We wanted to push genres. We wanted to make each film different from the other.

So I typed out on a blank page, “O Stree, Kal Aana!”

I dug into one of my lasting childhood visuals—every other wall in my hometown Tirupati, covered with the scribbling, “O Stree, repu raa..” Nobody knew what the story behind that was. All they knew was a strange urban legend that a scary stree will come into your house if you don’t write this. Why? How? What does she want? No one knew.

And I thought, what if she can’t read Telugu? Why is she getting fooled by a silly trick to come tomorrow, again and again? What if she still didn’t care and wanted to come inside? I had let these crazy/silly ideas float in my head for years. Then as I was discussing with DK, it hit us that this can’t just be a silly comedy or a silly horror film. It can be so much more. Thus came the idea of gender reversal—what if men were the ones afraid to go out late at night? What if men had to go through what innumerable women have to deal with every day?

We had already explored the combination of horror and comedy with Go Goa Gone, but we were looking to delve into a more grounded, frightening folktale with a deeper message.

Based on the times when as a kid I couldn’t walk alone at night and had to chant Hanuman Chalisa because someone might ‘call my name’ from behind. Many characters and incidents from school days made it into the film: Vicky, Jana, Narendra, Rudra bookstore, Shankar Shastri, ‘Friendship’, tailor-shop, even the streets with fort walls (Chandragiri) near my hometown we found in Chanderi. DK & I also realised firsthand how a story from Telugu small town can easily make sense in a small town in Madhya Pradesh.

So we dug deep, to dig ourselves out of the hole we were in. We went into hyperdrive and wrote the story every day and every night. And we finished the script in 3 weeks! A little coffeeshop called Potluck in Andheri West became D2R office :) That’s where we met all the crew, all the actors, discovered a great writer-friend at the next table, and discussed endlessly how to start production on this film (like so many filmmakers do at coffeeshops). Ironically as soon as the script was done and the shoot was getting ready, the BMC pulled down that sweet little coffeeshop.

Cut to:
A crew ready to buy into this silly story was put together.
A cast was cajoled into doing this film despite it being nonconforming.
A film started getting shot despite there being no precedent for this kind.

A super friendly fun shoot happened in the tiniest of the towns, Chanderi, where we stayed in guesthouses and schools, shot all over the town and played Mafia at nights. Many lasting bonds were formed.

And a film was made at the smallest budget possible and dared to go into theatres without a formula, and not following the norms.

Edits were changed, interval points were invented… But the original core story only got stronger at every step.

It was the fastest film we ever made. I guess that is what happens when you have a point to prove, to yourself. On the cusp of the release, we knew something magical was going to happen.

And it happened!

Aug 31, 2018.
A ridiculous story, defying all odds, became a phenomenon.

Glad we went back to our roots.
Glad we stuck to the films we want to make.
Glad this was the first Hindi film we produced.

A renewed second innings of D2R Films started, on our terms with our kind of stories and with no compromises. The Family Man, Farzi, Guns & Gulaabs, Cinemabandi, Citadel Honey Bunny, Gulkanda Tales, Rakt Brahmand… all followed.

As we look back in the middle of multiple productions, a huge D2R family, buzzing writers rooms, producing, directing, creating, backing beautiful stories, on our own terms… it wouldn’t have been possible without that little coffeeshop, the failures, the hardships, the amazing two-decade-old friendships, and the firm belief that even our kind of stories can break mainstream norms.

I guess every failure is an opportunity to grow. And every heartbreak is a chance to cleanse and recreate.

Thank you, wholeheartedly, for everyone who backed us, believed in us and loved our stories!

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

Never ever stop fighting for your loved ones.
#ManjummelBoys #Maharaja

[Akash @Akashkumarjha14]

After that knock from MS Dhoni,most of the commentators would have talked mostly about that knock in post match presentation with Ruturaj but Ian Bishop started with relevant questions regarding game.

That's the difference between him and your average Murali Kartik.

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

South Africa played fantastic cricket till now in WC and just lost to the best team from Asia and the best team from "Europe"

#INDvsSA #ICCCricketWorldCup

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

Wish they had better commentators in the last overs while Afghanistan were on the verge of historic win. Waqar Younis and Hayden were so biased that at one point it was unbearable. Wish we had Doull and Bishop for iconic moment along with Pommie.
#PAKvsAFG #CWC23

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

@ShreyasP_10 And along with pace, where he constantly clicks 140+, he has very good deceptive slower delivery as well. Especially slower yorkers, like Malinga, are very difficult to pick. At this age he is learning very quickly.

[Harsha Bhogle @bhogleharsha]

I am puzzled by the discussion around Tilak Varma missing out on a 50. It isn't a landmark, in fact other than a century (which is rare), there are no landmarks in T20 cricket. We are far too obsessed with individual achievement within a team sport. I don't believe 50s should be recorded in individual stats in T20 cricket. If you have made enough runs quickly enough (avg and SR), that is all that matters.

[Silly Point @FarziCricketer]

KL Rahul is disrespected too much. People are too comfortable dragging him even outside the game. Need a banger of a World Cup. 🥵

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

@_Ravi_Gary India's World cup squad playing 11 for 1st match -

1) Rohit Sharma (C)
2) S. Gill
3) Virat Kohli
4) *Shreyas Iyer
5) *KL Rahul (WK)
6) Hardik pandya (VC)
7) Ravindra jadeja
8) J. bhumrah
9) M. Shami
10) M. Siraj
11) *K. Yadav

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

Inject the commentary of @irbishi in my veins. What a fitting commentary to fitting innings played by @SRazaB24.
World cup qualifiers is really shaping up. Wish we had 14 teams world cup.
#ICCWorldCupQualifier #ZIMvNED

[Harsha Bhogle @bhogleharsha]

The morning after. Feel for Yash Dayal. Broad conceded 36 and 35 in an over and is among the best England has produced. Harshal conceded 37 but that didn't change the way people look at him. Dayal is in a good franchise and will have many good days.

[Anish Shah @imanish19]

Ian Bishop talking about Tushar Deshpande when he first saw him during 2018 Vijay Hazare trophy. A champion broadcaster who does lots of research and knows local players in and out. Few Indian "broadcasters" should learn from him.
@irbishi #IPL2023 #IPL23