Chandan Roy draws on nine Mumbai years for cab-driver role in Aakhri Ride

Nine years after arriving in Mumbai with what he describes as a small suitcase, Chandan Roy has used memories of that period for *Aakhri Ride*, a short film in which he plays a cab driver.

Roy said the character’s desperation connected with the struggles he experienced while building an acting career in the city. “The boy who arrived nine years ago with a small suitcase — I still feel the exact same way today,” he said, adding that Mumbai has gradually become home while his drive to work has remained unchanged.

Originally from Mahnar in Bihar, Roy studied mass communication before moving towards acting, seeing journalism as a way to stay close to cameras, lights and the film world while earning a living.

*Aakhri Ride* is presented by Anurag Kashyap and Vasan Bala. It features Aamir Dalvi, and is written and directed by Yashoda Parthasarthy and Vijesh Rajan. Roy said Kashyap’s association was a key reason he took on the independent project.