MUMBAI : Actor-director Nasirr Khan’s short film "The Last Audition" means a lot to him as there is an intriguing journey behind the film. He says that not only does the film have excerpts from his own life, but it has footage as well of his own auditions.

“The rejected clips are my actual audition clips which I was rejected from. I'm sure a lot of actors also have several rejected auditions saved in their phones somewhere as due to pandemic self-testing became the norm,” he says, adding, “Since I was visiting the US during the pandemic and was going to self-quarantine for 10 ten days, I thought of making the most of it. So, the idea and scripting actually began inflight. I knew I would make a short film - but what - I had no clue at that point of time.”

The concept of auditions and look tests have changed over the years and the actor-director says that the process of casting needs more transparency. “There are very few casting directors and assistants who know how to take auditions. Most of them are unaware of what's required,” he says.

Meanwhile, Nasirr is a well-known actor and says that he has never run after stardom. “These tags have never made a difference to me, every actor is a character - heroism is going to be over soon. Short films are a great way to showcase your talents. If there is clarity in your mind of what you really want to portray, then the length of the film or the role doesn’t matter,” he says.