Ahead of Mother’s Day (May 11), filmmaker Amar Kaushik opens up about the woman who ignited his storytelling spark — his mum Shashi Kaushik. Known for directing Stree (2018), Bhediya (2022) and Stree 2 (2024), Amar wholeheartedly credits his debut short film Aaba (2017) to her real-life experiences and talent.

“It was literally my mother’s story... She had just arrived from Chandigarh and, during dinner, she narrated a story from her life. It struck a chord. I stayed up all night thinking about it, and the next morning, I told her I wanted to make a film on it,” the 41-year-old tells us. Aaba went on to win the National Award and 67 international accolades.

”Currently wrapping up his production Thama with actor Ayushmann Khurrana, Amar is going to channel those childhood memories into his most ambitious project yet — Mahavatar, starring Vicky Kaushal: “It’s based on those very stories and is heavy on VFX. After Stree 2, I finally have the means to bring this vision to life.”