Abhishek Chaudhary minimal, story-first take on ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ which was appreicated by director Zoya Akhtar
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Abhishek Chaudhary spends his days in Berlin working as a product designer, but his evenings are usually spent sketching whatever happens to catch his eye – from the tools he uses to trim his beard to the colours and mood of autumn in Berlin. Lately, though, it’s his personal project of reinterpreting classic Indian cinema that has been taking over his drawing board and turning serious heads online.
“A lot of my visual language comes from the things I have been drawn to since I was young. I have a deep interest in comic books, Urdu and Hindi poetry, art history and Bollywood film posters. I think all these influences somehow find their way into my work, sometimes very consciously and sometimes without me realising it,” Abhishek says.
Recently, when he dropped his minimal, story-first take onZindagi Na Milegi Dobaraonsocial media, director Zoya Akhtar herself popped up in the comments to praise it and ask for a print. Characteristically, Abhishek almost missed the moment entirely, discovering it two days later. “Praise from an artist and filmmaker I admire is always a huge boost. For me, it means that the work has managed to resonate with someone whose work and creative voice I really respect. I did reply to her comment and told her she could DM me her email address, and I would be happy to send her the print file,” he shares.
It’s an encouraging nod for a project that began purely as a personal itch. Unlike traditional film posters, which exist to sell opening weekend tickets with massive star headshots, Abhishek’s work strips the celebrity away to focus on quirky details and nuances that linger long after the credits roll.
The poster of ‘Mr. India’ designed by Abhishek Chaudhary
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“Traditional movie posters often have to sell the film through its star cast, whereas my posters are about the little pieces of the story that people carry with them,” he explains. “I like to think of them as visual triggers for memory. When someone sees one of my posters and that memory suddenly comes back, creating that little ‘aha’ moment, that is what I find most rewarding.”
His process is surprisingly fast and organic. Equipped with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Delhi’s College of Art and a Master’s in Design from IIT Bombay, Abhishek works alongside his designer wife in Germany, drawing on a deep foundation in fine arts and a lifelong love for type design. When a film idea hits, he maps out a quick rough sketch on paper to check if the concept holds, then moves to digital softwares like Procreate and Adobe Illustrator to tinker with vectors, layout, and typography.
The poster of ‘Baazigar’ designed by Abhishek Chaudhary
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
For his Baazigarpiece, he bypassed the usual dramatic Shah Rukh Khan poses for a literal, witty visual metaphor. “The protagonist is called a baazigar, someone who can pull off the impossible, so I took the title almost literally and imagined him doing something impossible: riding a flipped horse,” he says. “For me, that is where the fun lies. I like taking something people already know and finding an unexpected visual interpretation of it, rather than simply reproducing the original.”
Other times, the artwork takes its own detour. His take on the cult classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro started as a film poster, only to morph naturally into what looks like a vintage vinyl record sleeve halfway through.
The poster of ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ designed by Abhishek Chaudhary
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
With a little over ten posters done and plenty more ideas floating around, Abhishek has no plans to wrap up the series – especially while the internet is paying attention. “Why not? Especially when the Instagram algorithm decides to be kind to you! There is something satisfying about feeding this digital social monster, especially when it gives the work a chance to reach people who might connect with it. As long as the ideas keep coming, I don’t see a reason to stop,” he adds.
Published – August 27, 2026 08:30 am IST
