Afwaahbaaz (2021)

AFWAAHBAAZ (English: Scandalmonger) is an independent film with an intention of spreading awareness among the masses about a subject matter that has been adulterating the Indian milieu for years. In this digital age, the abundant use of mobile phones combined with the Internet has dramatically increased the sharing of information. Unlike yesteryears, it now takes just a few taps on the mobile screen for a story to spread among millions. People, regardless of age, gender, and class, transfer information freely and quickly using various messaging apps and social media. This convenience has taken a filthy turn after several mischievous and notorious people have started using happy wheels them to spread made-up news for their own benefit. Afwaahbaaz attempts to outline the very issue and the threats it poses in the society. The film has been shot and based in Aligarh, a small city in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The protagonist Guru Ashwatthama is an ordinary-looking middle-aged man who leads a limited group of layabouts in exploiting social media to produce and proliferate false news content among a limitless circle. The name Ashwatthama is a deliberate reference to the warrior in the Hindu epic Mahabharata whose extraordinary weapon Narayanastra could shoot multiple arrows in multiple directions at once. The film depicts its modern-day interpretation as its main character, with the help of his gang, can irreversibly disperse fake news in various digital platforms through his present-day narayanastra (mobile phones). What makes the film more interesting is the fact that, although the story of the film is about a scandalmonger, the film includes the news stories which are from genuine, real-life sources. The film is around 30 minutes long and features an eye-opening number Afwahbaazi sung by a reality-show Indian Idol 11 fame Shahzan Mujeeb.