Imtiaz Ali on 'Bobby Beauty Parlour': Small-town memories and a rare Kashyap collab
Synopsis
Two of Indian cinema’s most celebrated auteurs, Imtiaz Ali and Anurag Kashyap, are presenting a short film that neither directed — and that’s the point. Bobby Beauty Parlour, a festival-travelled coming-of-age drama about two friends on their last afternoon together, arrives on YouTube during Friendship Week, carrying the weight of real decades-long friendships both on screen and behind the camera.
Key Takeaways
Bobby Beauty Parlour premieres on 6 August midnight on the Oh Short Flips YouTube channel during Friendship Week .
The short is directed by Shashwat Dwivedi and presented by Imtiaz Ali and Anurag Kashyap .
Imtiaz Ali said the film evoked memories of his own small hometown and adolescent friendships.
Kashyap described it as a ‘simple story, simply told’ about friendship, aspirations, and growing up.
Producer Janhavi Asthana also co-wrote the script and served as cinematographer.
The film stars Adrija Sinha , Parul Rana , Saksham Raj , and Preeti Kochar and has screened at festivals internationally.
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali says the short film Bobby Beauty Parlour stirred vivid recollections of his own small-town upbringing, as the coming-of-age drama — presented jointly by Ali and Anurag Kashyap — prepares to premiere on 6 August midnight on the Oh Short Flips YouTube channel during Friendship Week. Directed by Shashwat Dwivedi, the film follows childhood best friends Eelu and Manu through one charged final afternoon together.
What the Film Is About
Set almost entirely inside a neighbourhood beauty parlour, the story captures two lifelong friends drinking, napping, bickering, and clinging to a shared past that is slipping away. The synopsis describes it as a portrait of “the final afternoon together” — a quiet, intimate reckoning with the end of a chapter. The film has already travelled to multiple festivals internationally before this YouTube release.
What Imtiaz Ali Said
Ali, who presents the film alongside Kashyap, described the work in a statement: “The most spectacular moments of life don’t scream, but remain a part of our character forever. It is such moments that make Bobby Beauty Parlour charming.” He added that the film “got me remembering my own small hometown, my adolescent decisions and friends that I always carried with me.”
Kashyap’s Role and Creative Vision
Kashyap, who began curating for the Oh Short Flips channel last month with the short Incognito, called Bobby Beauty Parlour a “simple story, simply told” — “about friendship, aspirations and growing up.” He noted that producer Janhavi Asthana also co-wrote the film and served as its cinematographer, calling it a particularly personal production. Kashyap described director Dwivedi as someone whose growth “feels so personal” to him, having worked with him from early in his career.
The Friendship Behind the Frame
The collaboration between Ali and Kashyap carries its own backstory: the two celebrated filmmakers have been close friends since their university years in Delhi, making this a rare formal creative alignment. Producer Ranjan Singh, whose own partnership with Kashyap spans over three decades, said the film “fits perfectly for a friendship week release” given its themes of camaraderie and life’s realities.
Director’s Perspective
Dwivedi described the short as an attempt to train the lens on something “fragile that often gets overlooked” — childhood. “I’m glad the film is releasing on YouTube, given I’ve learnt so much of my filmmaking through the platform,” he said, adding that he hopes audiences “start missing their friends after watching it.” The film stars Adrija Sinha, Parul Rana, Saksham Raj, and Preeti Kochar, and is produced by Asthana, Singh, and Kashyap.
Point of View
But for what it signals about where serious Indian filmmakers are placing their trust. Ali and Kashyap choosing to lend their names to a YouTube short — rather than a streaming giant — suggests the prestige economy of short-form cinema in India is quietly shifting. Kashyap’s curation role at Oh Short Flips is worth watching: if a filmmaker of his standing commits to the format, it could draw other established names and reshape how festival-circuit shorts reach Indian audiences. The film itself, a quiet two-hander about the end of childhood, is precisely the kind of work that gets lost without a credible champion — which is exactly what this collaboration provides.
NationPress
3 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bobby Beauty Parlour about?
Bobby Beauty Parlour is a coming-of-age short film following childhood best friends Eelu and Manu on their final afternoon together, spent inside a neighbourhood beauty parlour. The film explores friendship, nostalgia, and the quiet grief of growing apart.
When and where can I watch Bobby Beauty Parlour?
The film premieres on 6 August at midnight on the Oh Short Flips YouTube channel, timed to Friendship Week. It is free to watch on the platform.
Who is directing Bobby Beauty Parlour?
The film is directed by Shashwat Dwivedi, who has previously worked with Anurag Kashyap. Imtiaz Ali and Kashyap are presenting the film, while Janhavi Asthana, Ranjan Singh, and Kashyap serve as producers.
Why are Imtiaz Ali and Anurag Kashyap involved?
Ali and Kashyap are presenting the film as long-time friends and collaborators, with Kashyap also curating the Oh Short Flips channel. Their friendship, which dates to their university days in Delhi, mirrors the film’s own themes of enduring camaraderie.
Has Bobby Beauty Parlour screened at film festivals?
Yes, according to producer Ranjan Singh, the short has travelled to multiple festivals internationally before its YouTube premiere during Friendship Week on 6 August.
