Berlinale 2025 | How 19 Producers Came Together to Back Bengali Film 'Shadowbox'

The challenging part of mounting Tillotama Shome's Bengali-language drama Shadowbox with 17 producers was not the actual making of the movie, but—as one of the producers Aman Mann quipped—managing the countless WhatsApp groups.

"When the film was being made, it was easier, but right now there are so many of these groups because of the different stages the film is at — from festivals and premieres to press junkets! So, it is about following up and making sure everything is on target and on time," Mann, who runs Kiterabbit Films along with All That Breathes (2022) filmmaker Shaunak Sen, told THR India.

Filmmaker Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi's debut feature Shadowbox (Baksho Bondi) recently had its world premiere at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival.

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Mann and Sen are among the film's 17 producers, which includes Naren Chandavarkar (Moonweave Films) and Sahi; meanwhile, the list of executive producers includes actor Jim Sarbh (Wonderful Entertainment), filmmakers Vikramaditya Motwane (Andolan Films) and Nikkhil Advani (Sumitra Gupta Foundation for the Arts).

The film also has an extensive team of co-producers—Tillotama Shome, Dheer Momaya (Jugaad Motion Pictures), Sidharth Meer (Bridge PostWorks), Dominique Welinski and Isabelle Glachant (Shasha & Co), Prashant Nair (Nomad Media & Entertainment), Anjali Patil (Anahat Films), Anu Rangachar (Gratitude Films), Ishaan Chandhok (Criss Cross Content), Shruti Ganguly (honto88), Dimpy Agrawal, Meena Agrawal (Gubbara Entertainment) and Neha Kaul (Thirty Nine By Six).

A whopping 19 producers coming on board to back one film is unheard of in the Indian indie space.

'The Model of Production'

Naren Chandavarkar, known for his score for projects like Paatal Lok and Udta Punjab (2016), said the idea to collaborate on such a wide-scale was born out of the desire to make a film that was "equitable but also fair" for everyone who has come on board.

"It is fair, as everyone joins in on pretty much the same terms and the same level of inputs. Everyone brings in a wealth of experience as producers and creators, so it has been a truly collaborative effort."

Shaunak Sen said while working on Shadowbox, the team realised that the model has its efficiencies and is, in fact, extremely practical. Despite influential voices onboard, Sen shared that it was smooth sailing during production.

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"The fact that various people came in and chipped in — not just monetarily — but also in kind, allowed this film to get built slowly and organically. There were no horror stories of anyone demanding final cuts, and we were able to maintain sovereignty. So the fact that we almost crossed the finishing line without it being harrowing, speaks of the model working in terms of efficiency," Sen added.

But though there were no ego clashes, there were still arguments.

'Love and War'

"There was real anger!" Das told THR India as she laughed recalling the shooting of the film in her hometown of Kolkata with Sahi, also her husband.

"There were times when my mother was worried, because we had rented a house just next door to where they lived, and she'd wonder, 'Is this a divorce situation happening?' My brother would eavesdrop and tell her not to worry as we were just discussing the script and fighting over dialogues."

"See, we fell in love because we shared a certain worldview. But the confidence to make a film together came from having a family and raising a kid. We thought if we could do this (be parents), maybe we could make a film too. A lot of people asked us, 'Oh, you have finished a film, and you are still together?'" Das smiles.

Sahi, who also served as a screenwriter and cinematographer on Shadowbox, said the couple was clear about their boundaries.

"She would write the dialogues, and during story discussions, I would be the one typing. She edited the film, did the casting and worked with the actors, while I looked after the shot division and location scouting.  We divided the work knowing where our strengths were," he added.

Set in a quiet suburb of Kolkata, Shadowbox draws a lot from the personal experiences of its creators, Das and Sahi. The film tells a poignant story of love, resilience, and the unyielding strength of Maya, played by Tillotama Shome, who also makes her production debut with Shadowbox.

'A Producer on Set'

When asked what being a producer did to her craft, Shome, known for her exceptional work on projects like Paatal Lok 2, Delhi Crime (2022), and Sir (2020), said it made her a more "understanding actor".

"I think all actors need to become producers. You get a sense of the larger picture and then you try to be a part of the solutions to the problems which will surface, no matter how well-prepped you are," she explained.

"As actors, you often feel quite shafted sometimes, wondering why you are waiting for 11 hours and still not been called onto set. But the team was so good that once I was on set, the focus was just on acting, even though I knew what the problems were; that helps you understand that you are a part of many moving pieces."

Shome added that Shadowbox was the first time she was offered the opportunity to come on-board a project as producer — and witness firsthand how a film is mounted from a rough draft of the script on paper.

"As actors, our body is used and framed to tell certain stories, but when it comes to the larger understanding of how films are made, we are kept out of that process. It was very refreshing to have Naren call me and not be egoistic at all; it was like a new door opening for me."

"As women living in these times, to be a part of certain stories that don't whittle us down to being just a body, being invited to a process when it is still in the writing stage, to understand how various departments are coming together, and even being asked to come and see the edit... after 25 years of being in the industry, I was invited into these spaces. Time will tell what my appetite for this will be, but for now, it has enriched my work as an actor," she mused.

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'Is this the Future?'

Advani, who is known for helming big-scale commercial outings like Kal Ho Naa Ho (2004), D-Day (2013), and last year's Vedaa, said that since he was "totally on the mainstream side," he came on board Shadowbox as a student.

"I am here to learn and understand. In our industry, there is always that one catalyst which starts everything. Payal and Shaunak's films have done that. But there is also a desperate need for an alternative to what is happening right now in the film industry; we need to come together and figure out how to make good cinema."

But he cautions, "I was shocked upon learning that some of the recovery numbers for indie films is very good. This means that the scope is there, and I fear that once a mainstream producer finds this out, it can get completely corrupted."

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Meanwhile, Motwane reasoned that at such a critical point in time for Hindi cinema — when there is a struggle for films to be distributed, seen, sold, and streamed — there is a certain amount of "muscle and backing" that is needed for the audience to feel confident to come and watch a film.

"So, in this scenario, when you say, the directors of Kal Ho Naa Ho and All That Breathes have come together with a bunch of other people to back a film, it automatically makes an audience member think, 'Oh then this is something I must go and see,'" Motwane said.

The Black Warrant director said this might just be a "necessary" model as he mentioned recent indie titles that also benefited from mainstream push: Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light which was distributed by actor Rana Daggubati, and Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies that was backed by superstar Aamir Khan.

"So, yes. For now, this model is what we need to reach out to a wider audience," Motwane added.