Ankit Siwach, who shot to fame with his show Rishton Ka Chakravyuh, is excited about his new short film Khidki, streaming on ShortsTV. The film is written and directed by Sumit Mishra and has already been screened at more than 20 national and international film festivals. Here’s a chat with Ankit about this film and more

• How did Khidki happen?

What made me choose this film was Sumit Mishra’s versatility. I have worked with him before. Sudhir sir is a soulful artiste, and I knew he would bring out all his talent on the floor for this film.

• What is this film all about and what role are you playing in it?

It is a tale of an ordinary girl Amba, played by Vinita Joshi, who dares to look out of her window, only to fly into her dreamland. She imagines a life full of happiness, beauty and love. In her dream, the girl encounters a handsome young man who is a flutist with magical musical powers. I play this dream character.

• Did you do any special preparation for this role?

When Sumit sir narrated the story, he told me the character plays the flute. Though they would add the music, I needed to know the right way to hold a flute. I went through many YouTube videos to learn and understand how to breathe along with the music.

• How was your experience shooting for a short film?

Every medium has its perks. However, I believe being part of a film is the most beautiful feeling. It balances every human emotion. Also, short films are now getting their due respect in India. It feels great to see your short film screened at prestigious film festivals.

• You are known for your fit body. What fitness regimen do you follow?

I have been working out continuously for past 15 years. I prefer weight training, calisthenics or yoga. I go for a run or cycle around the city too. So, I usually prefer a gym near my shooting location so that I don’t miss working out.

• Name a celebrity who inspires you to look fit.

Sylvester Stallone, John Abraham and Christian Bale are the celebrities who inspire me. All the actors these days are super fit, and people get inspired to be fit looking at their healthy lifestyle.

• We hear you spent the lockdown reading books. Which is your favourite book?

My favourite book during my younger days was Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler. This impacted me a lot as a person and will always be very special to me. The world dislikes him but the book gives you a different perspective. It’s not about loving him or hating him. It was about his love for his country and how it impacted the whole world.

• What are you reading these days?

I prefer comics these days, so I am reading Arkham Nights which is a Batman comic series.

• On work front, what’s next in the pipeline?

Currently, I am shooting for a web series, Ishq Me Marjwa Season 2. I am also part of a feature film called Banaras Vanilla.