Crowdfunded film ‘Toofaan Mail’ wrapped up

Broken but Beautiful, Kamyaab, Breathe and Photograph actress Akriti not only directed but also wrote, edited and played the lead role in Toofaan Mail. She says “For actors to write their own text and to make something absolutely from scratch is thrilling. Lena Dunham, Phoebe Waller-bridge did it, amazingly. I am thrilled about this new approach to filmmaking. I aspire to make many films after this. I have already written the second film that we might shoot in March. I am also working on the script of my third film.”

Toofaan Mail is also special in the way the film is funded, instead of relying on big producers, Toofaan Mail went the crowdfunding way for its finishing funds.  “We crowdfunded the film in October. The crowdfunding campaign was scheduled for 45 days, but we got the required funds in just 40 days and got more than the pledged amount. The response was overwhelming. A lot of people came forward and supported us,” says Akriti.

The shoot of the film was completed in February, but the post-production took time because of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.

The independent film, which stars Akriti Singh, Surya Rao and Arshad Mumtaz, among others, is based on a true incident from 1970s, where a woman arrived at the New Delhi railway station, claiming to be the Queen of Awadh, seeking to meet Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. It will be released in the new year.