He is an actor, filmmaker, photographer, writer who is fascinated by the world of online dating and inspired by modern tales of love. And Kabir Chopra @KabirIsHere believes that exploring the never-ending search for love is the key to creating great art.

The New York based Indian origin filmmaker’s new short film Misaligned was screened at the New York Indian Film Festival in May 2016.

“It’s a romantic comedy mixed with magical realism, starring Gerrard Lobo (Netflix’s Master of None), Zenobia Shroff (Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu), Morgan DeTogne & Paul Moon. It’s the story of a man who has to date his way through the Zodiac to find his true love, only to realize that one he’s been searching for is promised to someone else. The short film is based on a script I wrote while I was studying at NYU, and I hope to adapt this project into a feature length film”, says Kabir.

“I also completed a new short film which I wrote, directed and acted in. Inspired by a true story, Ghosted follows a man who had a steamy date with someone he met online, but never saw or heard from her again. The film shows what happens when they bump into each other 3 months later.”

Kabir graduated with a BFA in dramatic writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and has written, directed and starred in several short films, a few of which have screened at film festivals across New York. Recently, he participated in the Asian American Film Lab’s 72 Hour Shootout and his short film “Funny Faces” finished as a Top 10 Film!

Kabir also appeared in Hypokrit Theatre’s Romeo & Juliet and the upcoming feature film The Spectacular Jihad of Taz Rahim.

Last year, he published his first book POKE ME. Kabir is inspired by dating culture and love stories, and believes that exploring the never-ending search for love is the key to creating great art. “After years of trying my hand at online dating, I decided to write a book based on my experiences and called it “POKE ME! It’s a no-nonsense guide to Online Dating & Offline Loving. Whether you’re a newbie to the online dating world, or a seasoned flirter, “POKE ME!” is the sarcastic kick-in-the butt you need to get off your computer, and onto the dance floor. “

In 2013 he launched a web series on video game addiction. An avid gamer himself, Kabir drew from his own experiences, to highlight the addictive aspects of video games. Compelled by violent events and tragedies, he wanted to create a dialogue between the gaming community and society at large.

Kabir feels that “There’s a lot of content out there that focuses on gamers and gaming culture, but not a lot about the addiction aspect. There are all sorts of negative associations with video game addiction, most recently with violence. I just wanted to shed some light on the issue in a fun, but realistic way.”