India, May 9 -- 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. We discussed it and I wrote the story, produced it and I went to Arunachal (Pradesh) and made it with her," the 41-year-old tells us.

Aaba went on to win the Nati...