'Maduve Oota' will be the first zero-budget movie made in the history of Indian cinema, says writer-director Mahesh Loni. The film, said to be a romantic black comedy starring mostly freshers, deals with the doubting nature and emotional insecurities of the human mind, especially in a relationship. Talking about how he went about making a zero-budget film, Mahesh says, “I was offered a chance to work in a camera rental house as a marketing head, and I accepted it with the condition that I will be provided the camera, whenever available, for the movie free of cost. I used all the available contacts to get the cast and crew members for the movie. The entire movie was shot in Bengaluru.
I used free Ola coupons for transportation. Most of the shooting was done in the morning and evening, and hence I avoided the food expenses,” explains the director, adding that he convinced all the technicians to work for free by showing them Maduve Oota film footages. “Studio owners agreed to give the space for free during the night for a limited period of time, and hence most of the work was done after sunset and before sunrise,” he reveals.
Maduve Oota brings on board a whole of new talent, including Jai, Sawan Singh, Akash Banahatti, Dharmendra Urs, and Gayathi. It has cinematography by K Madhusudhan while Raviteja, Vikash Vasistha, Shrinkath Attearaya, and Madhusudhan have come together to score the music. The movie is said to be based on Bhagavad Gita’s Sanshayatma vinashyati (the one who doubts can never be happy or let others be happy). “Gender equality is the message of the movie. ‘What’s inside anybody’s clothes is nobody’s business; it matters only in the bathroom and bedroom, not in any other place’, is the core message of the movie,” explains the director. The film is currently in the post-production stage. The team is now planning to work for a social cause, and is starting a campaign in #Savethevillage.