Akash is a filmmaker, cinematographer, and recipient of numerous honors for his short films in national and international film festivals. He has been working in this field for the past seven years.Akash is a filmmaker, cinematographer, and recipient of numerous honors for his short films in national and international film festivals. He has been working in this field for the past seven years.

Akash Solanki is a cinematographer and a film director from Ahmedabad. He has been working in the field of cinematography for the past seven years and directing for the past three years. Some of his notable work includes short-films- "Shiro", "Ek Khwab" and several others that made their name in national and international film festivals.

Remembering his childhood, Akash says he was an average student in his studies but was very active in participating in extracurricular activities.  He was good at singing and participated in and won many of the competitions at the state level during his school days. When he went to college, he started exploring theater and eventually learned to see life from a different perspective. He used to do street photography and photo work along with his theater. With his friends, he started developing short-films and received appreciation and love from people. This is how his whole journey in the cinematography field began.

Akash shares that he used to like doing street photography and capturing the essence of people's everyday lives, which eventually led him to win the "Shutterfly" street photography competition. He clicked a unique picture of commode toilet seats, which were placed in an unusual position and location, and this photo ended up being the winning entry.

During the COVID period, Akash and his family were also going through a tough phase, and his father, who loves telling stories, came up with a script for "Shiro". The idea took the shape of a short-film with the help of Akash and his team. This Gujarati short-film became a favorite in many national and international film festivals and won more than twenty-seven awards. He received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for short-films and has become an inspiration for many aspiring filmmakers in Gujarat. Akash received the Best Cinematographer award from the Mumbai International Film Festival. His short-film has been screened in more than nine countries across the world.

Akash also received awards for his second short-film "Ek Khwab". He gives credit for his success and achievements to his habit of exploring the field and trying his hands at different fields of filmmaking.

When asked about his role models, Akash says he doesn't see any specific person as his role model but learns from his surroundings and by exploring the field on his own. He believes that experimenting with different aspects of filmmaking has helped him grow as a filmmaker. He appreciates the work of various filmmakers, especially Sanjay Leela Bhansali and others who push boundaries and challenge the norms of traditional cinema. Above all, he thinks nature has been his biggest mentor, which has made him learn, explore, and grow in his field.

Other than filmmaking and theater, Akash also has a great interest in kite flying. He is an international kite flier who has a good collection of kites ranging from small one rupee kites to big ones priced at lakhs. He claims to have been felicitated by the Indian Army and Prime Minister for his kite flying skills. He also participates in various kite festivals across the world. For him, kite flying gives him the same ultimate solace others get in meditation.

To budding filmmakers, Akash says working consistently in the field is more necessary and important than waiting for big opportunities to come their way. He suggests they start with filming and editing small reels and developing small stories inspired by their surroundings into small works. He believes that steady effort and determination are the keys to success.