Aakhri Ride Review: Chandan Roy Delivers a Brilliant Performance in Vijesh Rajan and Yashoda Parthasarthy’s Hilarious Horror-Satire!

Aakhri Ride Review: that is the phrase I kept repeating to myself after the 24-minute runtime ended, because this little Halloween release refuses to sit in one box. In this Aakhri Ride Review, I will break down the story without big spoilers, the acting, the editing, the satire, the flaws, and exactly where to watch it.  

The Aakhri Ride short film comes from first-time directors Vijesh Rajan and Yashoda Parthasarthy, and it stars Chandan Roy, the actor most of us still call Vikas from Panchayat.  

If you want one line before the details: Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride is the reason to press play, and the Aakhri Ride anti-horror twist is the reason to keep watching. 

Is Aakhri Ride Worth Watching? My Quick Verdict 

Yes, with one condition: go in expecting a short film that plays with genre, not a pure scare-fest. My honest Aakhri Ride Review score is 3.7 out of 5, and the Aakhri Ride short film earns that score mostly through its lead actor.  

Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride is the strongest part of the package, and the Aakhri Ride anti-horror structure is the most talked-about part.

That number comes from five parts I scored separately (see the scorecard near the end), and the biggest chunk of it belongs to the lead performance. 

Here are the quick facts every reader searches for first: 

What Is the Aakhri Ride Short Film About? 

The Aakhri Ride short film follows Aman Kumar Yadav, a sleep-deprived gig-economy cab driver in Mumbai who sleeps in the very car he drives.

His days are ruled by phone calls. One voice belongs to his mother, who says his younger sister’s wedding is at risk unless the family arranges a large dowry by the next sunrise.  

The second voice belongs to the cab’s owner, who barks at him all day. The third belongs to Raju, an old contact who nudges him back toward petty theft. 

So the plan forms: complete one last ride, take the car, and disappear. That is where the title comes from. Aakhri Ride literally means “The Last Ride,” and the story unfolds over a single dark October night.  

I will not spoil what happens in the back seat, but I will say that the setup looks like a crime drama, then swerves into horror, then swerves again. That double swerve is the heart of any honest Aakhri Ride Review.

It is also why the Aakhri Ride anti-horror label fits so well: the horror is real in the setup, but the payoff belongs to a different genre. 

What I liked immediately about the Aakhri Ride short film is how small the world is. Most of the action sits inside one car, which reminded me of the pressure-cooker feel of single-location road dramas.

One critic compared the setup to the 2013 film Locke, and another to the old Twilight Zone. 

Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride: Why Aman Feels So Real 

If you only remember one thing from this Aakhri Ride Review, let it be this: Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride is doing something quietly difficult. Watching Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride, I kept noticing how little he overacted.  

Roy was born on 20 December 1995 in Mahnar, Bihar, so he is only 30 years old, yet he carries a 24-minute film almost alone for long stretches. 

Aman could have been written as a victim begging for sympathy, but Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride avoids that trap. Roy does not play him that way.

He gives Aman tiredness, politeness, helplessness, and a stubborn work ethic, all at once.  

When the owner calls to abuse him, the scene hits because every person who has survived a toxic boss recognises that face. One reviewer noted that Roy never lets the character become pitiable, and I agree completely. 

Here is the part that surprised me. Because he is so closely linked to Vikas in Panchayat, I worried I would see Vikas behind the wheel.

I did not. That is the biggest win for Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride: he becomes someone new.  

Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride uses a softer, more worn-out voice, and the physicality is different too: the hunched shoulders, the cat-naps with feet up on the window frame, the nervous laughter when he tries to act tough. 

The Hollywood Reporter India review even places him at a point in his career where better, bigger roles should be coming. After this performance, I want that for him too.

For fans searching for Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride reviews, this is the honest summary: the acting is the film’s anchor.  

If you only watch the Aakhri Ride short film for one reason, make it Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride, because every scene he is in feels earned. 

Beyond Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride, the voice cast also deserves credit. Faisal Malik, Roy’s Panchayat co-star, voices Raju over the phone with so much relish that you can almost see the grin. Aamir Dalvi, as an incredulous police inspector, gets some of the biggest laughs of the whole film. 

How Does the Aakhri Ride Anti-Horror Twist Work? 

The phrase Aakhri Ride anti-horror is how several reviewers have described the film, and it is the best label I have found too.

The film borrows the language of horror: a radio drama playing in the cab that recalls old power-cut nights, a mysterious passenger in the back seat, spectral hints, a dark Mumbai Road.  

Then it deliberately avoids paying off those fears in the usual way. That is the core of the Aakhri Ride anti-horror approach: set up fear, then use humour and empathy instead of jump scares. 

I want to be fair here, because critics split on how well this works. One review praised the Aakhri Ride anti-horror turn for staying honest to its own rules and for never feeling like a betrayal.  

Another review enjoyed it as a sensory ride but found the ending a little hurried and not fully logical. A third felt the first half sets up so many horror promises that the reveal feels like a letdown. 

Where do I land on the Aakhri Ride anti-horror debate? I enjoyed the Aakhri Ride anti-horror idea more in the first 15 minutes than in the final 5, and the Aakhri Ride anti-horror label sums up that tension well.

The bait-and-switch is clever, and the humour keeps the tension from collapsing.  

The Aakhri Ride anti-horror pitch is strongest when it stays playful. But the final stretch tries to be earnest and moral at the same time, and that shift in tone felt abrupt to me.

This is also where I would warn readers who want a proper scary film: the Aakhri Ride short film is not that, and it never claims to be.  

Think of the Aakhri Ride anti-horror style as a prank on genre fans, not a scare machine. 

Direction, Editing and Sound: What Makes the 24 Minutes Move 

Because this is a debut for both directors, I paid extra attention to craft. Three things stood out. 

1. 1. The editing. The film is cut by Shreyas Beltangdy, and the rhythm is brisk and confident. Several reviewers singled out the editing as the glue that holds the genre-hopping together, and I felt the same. The Aakhri Ride short film never lingers where it should not, and the pace is a big reason the Aakhri Ride anti-horror switch lands.
2. The colour and mood. A steel-blue grade covers the night scenes and makes the cab feel like a small, cold box floating through the city.
3. The language. In one police-station scene, you hear at least three different Mumbai flavours of speech: North Indian migrant Hindi, Marathi, and a posh South Bombay drawl. For a film about a migrant worker in a big city, that small detail adds real texture.

What Works and What Doesn’t: Pros and Cons 

After a few days of thinking about it, here is my balanced take. 

What worked 

• A lead performance that feels lived-in rather than acted 

• A smart genre switch and sharp editing 

• Humour that sits comfortably beside the tension 

What didn’t 

• Too many themes for the runtime: gig exploitation, dowry, police abuse, women’s safety, and more compete for space 

• A neat, moral-play ending that tries to wrap everything up 

• Some portrayal choices that critics have called out as insensitive, including a framing of a trans character as the “monster” and a blackface moment.
• I think these criticisms are fair, and it is worth stating them clearly in any honest Aakhri Ride Review. 

• A first half that promises more horror than the film finally delivers 

What Did Other Critics Say About Aakhri Ride? 

I always like checking where my opinion sits against the wider conversation. Four notable reviews I read broke down like this: 

• Positive: Two reviews leaned positive, praising the performance, humour and the anti-horror structure. 

• Mixed: One review called it a mixed bag, liking the nostalgia and acting but disliking the overstuffed themes. 

• Fun but flawed: One review called it entertainingly weird, loving the editing and style while finding the ending forced. 

So the broad pattern is 2 positive, 2 mixed, and zero outright negative. Everyone agrees on Roy, and every Aakhri Ride Review I read praises Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride in some form.

The split is about the writing. That is exactly why this Aakhri Ride Review leans on his work first and the screenplay second. 

Where to Watch Aakhri Ride Online 

The question I see most often is where to watch Aakhri Ride, so here is the clear answer. If you are still asking where to watch Aakhri Ride, the answer is simple.

People also ask where to watch Aakhri Ride with subtitles; check the YouTube caption settings.  

As of 5 November 2026, you can stream the short film for free on the Oh Short Flips YouTube channel. You do not need a subscription. 

If you are looking for where to watch Aakhri Ride on a bigger screen, simply cast the YouTube video to your TV, since the film is only 24 minutes long. 

Where to watch Aakhri Ride in three steps: 

• Open YouTube on your phone, laptop or smart TV. 

• Search for the Oh Short Flips channel. 

• Pick the Aakhri Ride short film and press play. 

That is everything you need to know about where to watch Aakhri Ride. If a friend asks where to watch Aakhri Ride, just send them the channel name, and tell them to watch it late at night for the full Halloween mood. 

A small tip for anyone searching where to watch Aakhri Ride on OTT apps: remember, where to watch Aakhri Ride has one answer only: YouTube, not Netflix, Prime Video or JioHotstar.  

If you want to browse our platform pages for bigger releases, check our OTT platform hub. For more Halloween-season frights, our horror movie section has more picks. 

Who Should Watch the Aakhri Ride Short Film? 

Panchayat fans, short-film lovers and anyone with 24 spare minutes and a taste for dark humour will enjoy it. I would not recommend it to someone who wants a truly frightening horror film.  

If you enjoy reading about more Hindi cinema and streaming picks, browse our movie reviews, our Bollywood news and the upcoming movies page. 

Aakhri Ride Review: Key Takeaways 

• Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride gives a grounded, believable performance that carries the film. 

• The Aakhri Ride anti-horror structure is clever, though the ending is rushed. 

• The Aakhri Ride short film runs only 24 minutes, so the risk of trying it is tiny. 

• Where to watch Aakhri Ride: free on the Oh Short Flips YouTube channel, and anyone asking where to watch Aakhri Ride gets the same answer. 

• My verdict rates it 3.7 out of 5 overall. 

My Aakhri Ride Review Scorecard 

Conclusion 

To wrap up this Aakhri Ride Review, I would say the film is stronger as an experience than as a story. The Aakhri Ride short film overloads its final act with themes and a tidy moral, and a few of its portrayal choices deserve the criticism they have received. Still, Chandan Roy in Aakhri Ride gives one of the most grounded performances of his career so far, and the editing alone makes the 24 minutes fly by. 

If you enjoy genre-bending shorts, the Aakhri Ride anti-horror approach is worth your time, and this Aakhri Ride Review hopes you give the Aakhri Ride short film a chance.  

If you are still wondering where to watch Aakhri Ride, the Oh Short Flips YouTube channel has it for free. Now you know where to watch Aakhri Ride, so watch it, then come back and tell me in the comments whether you agree with my 3.7 out of 5. 

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