Crowdfunded film hits screens finally

Dinesh Babu Selvaraj’s debut directorial venture Naalu Peruku Nalladhuna Edhuvum Thappilla — after being in post production for almost a year — has finally hit the screens. The film is one of the few crowdfunded Tamil movies. “We have got the response what a small-budget movie generally receives in the beginning. We are hoping with word-of-mouth, it eventually garners more attention — and competes  with other big-budget films,” Dinesh Babu says, regarding the reception of his film by the audience.

Dinesh has worked with Mani Ratnam for many films including Kadal, and the debutant director says his mentor liked the film and suggested a few changes —“He made a  few corrections to the film, and we went back and rectified them.” About the film, he elaborates,“The film revolves around four youngsters and the world around them. Now, everything is about money and the film deals with the tipping point of such an extreme environment — where money becomes the only priority.”

He assures that crowdfunding is an initiative that could really help filmmakers to bring their films to theatres — “With digitalisation, anyone can make films now. The real problem is how one is will bring it to the theatres. NPNET has been bankrolled by 75 people, and I got the idea from an article in which Kamal Haasan spoke about crowdfunding being an option for Marudhanayagam. It could help many filmmakers in the future too.” The film stars all new faces except for Karthik, who is popular with the audience through a TV show.