New Delhi: Filmmakers Tanmaya Shekhar and Molshri have covered the journey from “nukkad to Netflix.” Their film 2024 Nukkad Naatak, which once struggled to secure theatrical screens, is now set to stream on Netflix starting 24 April.
The film, which tackles themes like access to education in slum communities and LGBTQ+ rights, was released across 100 screens in India on 27 February. Its theatrical run was modest, earning around Rs 0.19 crore net and Rs 0.20 crore gross domestically.
Made on a tight budget of Rs 2.5 crore, the project depended heavily on grassroots promotion, including a unique caravan campaign. But this journey was easier said than done. The period between completing the film and bringing it to audiences was marked by uncertainty, rejection, and long stretches of silence. Shekhar and Molshri approached major production houses, distributors, OTT platforms, and established filmmakers, but nothing worked.
Reflecting on that phase, Shekhar described it as “unpredictable”, largely because they were operating outside the conventional system.
“Bohot hi uncertain thi journey, kyunki sab kuch system ke bahar horaha tha independently. Pehele toh harr step pe questions the — will we be able to raise the funds to shoot? Shoot hogaya toh post production ke liye paise kahan se aayenge (The journey was extremely uncertain because everything was happening independently, outside the system. At every step, there were questions: Would we be able to raise funds to shoot? And even if the shoot is completed, where would the money for post-production come from)?,” Shekhar told ThePrint.
Reaching the right producers or studio executives also proved difficult. And when they did manage to connect, conversations often ended abruptly with one common question: Who was in the cast? The absence of star power or established backing became their biggest hurdle. Post-pandemic, small-budget Hindi films without known faces were rarely being picked up by OTT platforms, making their chances of release seem almost nonexistent.
“The chances of release were zero. We started thinking, ‘Should we abandon the project?’ But no, we used our weakness as our strength. No stars, no big names, so we became the faces of the film and told the story of our struggle honestly,” the filmmaker said.
For Shekhar and Molshri, this almost rags-to-riches transition that the film witnessed is almost surreal.
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What went into the film
Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral campaign drew inspiration from Bollywood. Shekhar and Molshri borrowed his marketing tactics to promote their independent film. While Mamdani’s campaign was backed by the creative agencies Forge Designs and Melted Solids, the duo pulled off the marketing for their film entirely on their own.
This led to the creation of a 25-episode series titled How To Enter Bollywood, released on YouTube and Instagram. The series documented their struggles and aspirations, and searched to connect with an online audience that resonated with their story. In hindsight, the filmmakers said that that connection became one of the most rewarding parts of their journey.
The series included collaborations with filmmaker Imtiaz Ali and content creator Parul Gulati, leading to a promotional tour across the country in their caravan. Now, Nukkad Naatak’s campaign has become a textbook example of guerilla marketing.
But their out-of-the-box marketing didn’t stay confined to the digital space. Taking their campaign to the ground, they hand-painted a caravan with the film’s title and embarked on a cross-country trip, from Mumbai to Kolkata, covering 15 cities in six weeks. Along the way, Shekhar and Molshri engaged with people in schools, colleges, NGOs, and even on street corners, echoing the very spirit of a typical street play.
“All this was because we never gave up. And finally, when the film is released on 24 April on Netflix, the road ahead after the online release feels uncertain again,” remarked Shekhar, aware of the challenges that come with being outsiders in the industry.
For the duo, questions still linger: Will the debut film be enough as outsiders to break in? What if the film doesn’t do well? Will they go back to where they started, struggling to find roles, to get a foot in the door? These doubts, Shekhar admits, haven’t disappeared. But what has changed is their perspective.
“We are more confident that no matter what challenges we face, we will find our way. After all, Nukkad se Netflix tak bhi toh rasta bana hi liya na (After all, we did find a way from a street corner to Netflix),” Shekhar said.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)