Making a mark

INTERNATIONAL record-holder and former Bahrain resident Millat Ahmad is celebrating two new accolades with his debut film Aanthai, which was released last month, writes Melissa Nazareth.

The creative has appeared in the London Book of World Records and India Book of World Records for being the first in the history of Tamil cinema to have managed 10 roles in the same project.

Running for 95-minutes, the film will showcase Millat’s many talents as actor, story writer, screenplay writer, dialogue writer, lyricist, singer, dubbing artist, choreographer, producer and co-director. Further, he has also been recognised as the ‘first achiever in the film industry from Puducherry’.

The Tamil movie (Tamil is the official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu), is being aired now in Puducherry and will soon be available worldwide.

“When I started working on the project as a co-director with Naveen Manikandan, I was in charge of just story, screenplay, dialogue and lyrics,” the former video shop owner who used to live on Zubarah Avenue in Bahrain told GulfWeekly.

“One day, while we were recording a song, music director SR Ram asked me to deliver a dialogue which is part of the track. He was so impressed that he decided to retain it.

“One thing led to another and I ended up taking on the other roles as well. I had invested so much of my time and emotion in the film by then that I decided to produce it when the initial producers had to discontinue,” the 52-year-old revealed.

Belonging to the psycho crime genre, the film brings to light the important topic of women’s safety. It’s named Aanthai, which means ‘owl’ in Tamil, because most of the story is set during the night.

“The plot features a couple who are on their honeymoon at a guest house. What happens when a psycho rapist who has been laying waste to the city ends up at the guest house? It’s a suspense thriller, which will keep you on the edge of your seat,” he added.

“A major highlight for me was when Puducherry chief minister N Rangaswamy congratulated me and blessed the film to be a big success,” the healthcare professional who currently lives in Singapore with his family, often travelling to India, added.

Millat’s love for story telling goes back to his college days when he worked as an assistant director in Chennai for six years. In 2021, he secured a spot in Kalam’s World Records for the World’s Shortest Story, comprising just five words.

Despite living in India and now in Singapore, Millat fondly remembers Bahrain and how organising events with the support of Tamil Social and Cultural Association, under the leadership of former president A Ponnuchamy, helped him lay the foundation for his many creative pursuits and achievements.

“I would love to visit Bahrain again soon,” he said.

Millat’s other accolades include a Guinness World Record as volunteer for the largest hospital reunion in 2016, Kalam’s World Records for having the most title credits in a short film in 2021, Majulah World Records as event director of the world’s smallest Tamil debate, and more.

For details, follow @ahmad.millat on Instagram.