How Team ‘Maayakoothu’ Made Their Surreal Drama With ₹ 25 Lakhs

Last Friday’s Tamil release Maayakoothu is not the kind of concept film you’d think would be completed with a micro budget. For a surreal drama that speaks about a novelist who comes face-to-face with his own fictional characters, it’s not easy to comprehend how the film could be made within Rs. 25 lakh.

It took just 23 days to complete this indie and the film’s creative producer and cinematographer Sundar Ram Krishnan, explains how they were able to pull it off. He says, “The production of the film was just Rs. 10,58,000. The remaining budget was for post-production.” 

Almost the entire film was completed in double shifts and the crew had to come up with ideas on-the-go to make it happen. “We only got six hours of late actor Delhi Ganesh’s call sheet, but he plays an important character. We also got only 24 hours with Sai Deena, who played one of the four central characters. We had no go option but to complete it within this time, but I feel the film only improved because of restrictions.” 

The whole film was shot on Sundar’s personal Black Magic 6K pocket camera and the lenses they used also were primarily Sundar’s own. “The bigger challenge was lighting. We had to shoot in the same building for two sets of characters and this restricted how much could move around. We had to use limited lights, and a generator was out of the question too. Maintaining lighting continuity was the biggest test.” 

He explains how the film started out as an original to be made for an OTT. “They finally refused to make our film because they thought we wouldn’t be able to complete it for a budget of Rs. 1.25 crore. We finally did it with one fifth that amount.” 

Behind the scenes on the sets of 'Maayakoothu'

Casting was complete based on acting talent alone and availability and the first copy was finished for Rs. 25 lakh. “But we struggled to release it for two years. We did not find takers to distribute it. We were stuck and we even thought of releasing it straight on YouTube in our desperation. We’re glad we could release it, even if in 20 theatres.” 

The film is now aiming for an OTT release on a pay-per-view basis and hopes the film’s positive critical reception will attract viewers. Sundar says, “Of course we could have improved certain aspects with a bigger budget. The Sai Deena angle needed an emotional arc, which we could not get because of time. But overall, we were able to make the film we did because we had no options but to think on our feet. Our ambition was to make a film like Santosh Sivan’s Terrorist. Back when it was made, its budget was just enough to purchase the film reels it was shot on. Yet it became a classic, voted by Roger Ebert as one of his favourites. Small budgets only expand your creativity.”