Shubham Singh’s Highway Nights, which stars Prakash Jha as a truck driver, may soon find its place in the Live Action Short Film category for Academy Awards 2023. The movie is currently in the academy screening room and the jury will decide on its selection to the next round.

Highway Nights follows an old truck driver who picks up a sex worker from the highway as the girl was looking for a lift at night. An unusual bond develops between them by the time it is morning as the driver begins to feel a paternal affection for the girl.

Inspired by a real tradition of the Bachhada tribe in Madhya Pradesh, Highway Nights is a heartwarming story that subtly showcases how women are often thrown into the vicious circle of flesh trade in remote regions of India.

Asked about the reason for casting National Award-winning director Prakash Jha for this role, Shubham said, “The choice of having Prakash Jha playing an overworked truck driver was an organic one. When I completed the story, the first thought in my mind was that it is a good story for him. I also watched Saand ki Aankh, which pushed me to consider him for this part.”

“After I told Prakahs Jha the story, he also felt that there is a larger need to tell this story. And after I completed the script of Highway Nights, everything kind of fell into place,” he added.

Earlier this year, Pan Nalin’s Chhello Show (The Last Fim Show) had been chosen as India’s submission at the Best Feature Film category for the 95th Academy Awards.