Pune: IRS Officer Anwesh's film, "The Kathakar Ki Diary", has made an entry into the widely acclaimed International New York Film Festival (INYFF). Anwesh, who currently serves as the Joint Commissioner of Goods and Service Tax (GST) in Pune, has also been a passionate filmmaker since a young age. He says that he thinks by being an IRS officer he is serving the nation, while his filmmaking is contributing to society. Speaking to The Free Press Journal in an interview, Anwesh spoke about his motivations, background, and his well-appreciated film.
Kathakar Ki Diary: The Film
Kathakar Ki Diary is a low-budget film made with no big banner, no big names, but with dedication, innovation, and passion. As the name suggests, it is the story of a Kathakar (translates to 'storyteller' in English). The film narrates a story of ordinary lives and shows how the passion and hard work of a common man can turn big dreams into reality. The film was completed in May 2025, when it had its first screening, after over three years of effort.
Efforts in Making the Film
Anwesh told the FPJ that Aseem Sinha, the famous National Award-winning editor formerly associated with legendary director Shyam Benegal, provided his editing skills to this film. Impressed with the project, Sinha didn’t charge any fee for his work. Along with that, the film has around 200 local theatre artists and technicians from Maharashtra and Odisha who contributed to it. Talented artists including Kapil Bhagwat, Yogesh Jadhav, Ashlesha Sundermal, Daniel Vincent, and child artist Aarohi Chatterjee (aged only one and a half years at the time of shooting) acted brilliantly on screen to enhance the movie's already strong storyline and script.
Speaking about it, Anwesh said, "Though the idea was mine, the collaborative efforts of all the people involved in this film were the reason the film was made." The film was shot across Maharashtra (Pune and Mumbai), Odisha, and Jharkhand and took three years to complete. The script was finished in 2021, and the work began in 2022. Anwesh said that due to professional commitments of him and his crew, budgetary constraints, and other technical matters, the film took longer to complete than expected. Anwesh said that this film was a result of creative collaboration, and he also thanked the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune for its contribution.
Praises and Recognition
Veteran Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha, who was present for the first screening of the film in May 2025, praised it. Filmmaker Sejal Shah, producer Krishika Lulla, and director Sai Kabir also appreciated the film, saying it is well made. Social activists Rekha Rao and Gauri Sawant also praised the efforts and the final product. The film has been selected for the world-famous INYFF. Anwesh told the FPJ that this film was also selected for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), but due to missing the registration deadline, the film couldn’t feature in it.
Who Is Anwesh?
Anwesh, aged 38 years, who doesn’t use any last name and is originally from Odisha, is a dedicated civil servant who passed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam in 2013. Ranked 226, Anwesh chose to be an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer over the Indian Police Service (IPS). He said that being an IRS officer is a part of his life, and he wanted to serve the nation along with his passion for films.
After completing his initial schooling in Odisha, Anwesh moved to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh for his bachelor’s degree. He earned his Bachelor of Performing Arts degree from the renowned music institution, Bhatkhande Music Institute University. Anwesh then moved to Mumbai in 2004 and worked in the advertisement sector, making ad films for a variety of clients. Passionate about music from a young age, Anwesh said, "I always thought I could mix my passion for music and filmmaking and combine these two skills to make an interesting final product."
Professional Commitments That Never Wavered
Anwesh had made multiple short films before, but the idea of making a full feature film struck him in 2019. He wanted to begin it as soon as possible; however, due to COVID-19, he couldn’t start. But taking advantage of the forced postponement, he started developing his script, which was finished in 2021. Anwesh began filming a year later. When asked about how he balanced the two very demanding sides of his life, he said, "The majority of the film has been shot at night. I used to work as a civil servant in the day, and after my office hours, I used to make my film. Many times I slept at night on the set or in the studio and then went to the office the next day. My crew really helped and adjusted a lot for me, and it’s their efforts which resulted in the making of this film."
Inspired by Satyajit Ray & Charlie Chaplin
Anwesh said that he likes a lot of filmmakers in international, national, and regional cinema and always looks for something to get inspired by from them. However, his greatest inspirations are always the legendary late directors Charlie Chaplin and Satyajit Ray. Hirak Rajar Deshe, released in 1980 and directed by Ray, and Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film Modern Times are his favourite movies. "Well, if I have to say the favourite, it has to be these two movies. Although I like many movies, especially the regional cinema coming from Malayalam, Marathi, and other parts of India, they are good too. There is nothing like commercial or non-commercial cinema, but the one which can engage all-aged audiences is good cinema," Anwesh said.
Future Plans
Anwesh told the FPJ that currently he is working on two projects. Their scriptwriting is in process. However, the priority for him currently is to build theatrical credibility by making this film gain global recognition. "I want Kathakar Ki Diary to feature in many festivals and get good recognition from international and diverse filmmakers." When asked about how one can watch the film, he said, "Currently for the next 12 months, the film will be screened at film festivals. After that, we will do an official release of it for the wider audience. However, it will be decided by me and my team how the release will happen."
