If you are from cities like Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Kolkata or even Bengaluru you might have seen a man dressed as a fox at public places, introducing himself and urging people to watch his film Lomad. The man is Hemwant Tiwari, the director and actor of the world's first black and white single take film, and this is how he is promoting the film. He did not take this unusual way as a publicity stunt, rather this was the only solution left. Low on budget, and not getting any support from producers or OTT platforms, he took the onus on himself to make audiences watch his film, which was a first-of-its-kinds. He is taking one city at a time to release his film, so that he gets at least a week’s time to promote it. As he gets ready to promote and release the film in Bengaluru, Indulge speaks to him about the film, the challenges he faced and more.
Tell us something about the film.
Lomad is about a couple who were together in college and now they are meeting after a decade but things aren’t the same anymore. They feel like complete strangers to each other and their car gets stranded in an abandoned road and unwanted characters start appearing in that scenario, and how the “lomad” (fox) within comes out of each character is the story.
What made you promote your film like this?
The passion, dedication and hunger with which my team worked for the film forced me to do this. I wanted the hard work to be seen by the world but I didn't have any means or budget for the promotions, that is what gave me the idea and it all started. I think it was the belief that my team has done something amazing and the world must watch it. For two years, I did 2-3 jobs simultaneously to make this film happen. And when I saved up a little, I realised that the film can have a limited release. Promotion needs a lot of money, so I decided to go places and shout out loud about my film and why people should watch it. That decision was life-changer.
Why did you go for a theatrical release? Wouldn’t an OTT platform do more justice?
OTT was definitely a good idea, and I tried that too but the offers that we were getting were exorbitant. When I approached people, nobody understood what we were talking about, since no one has seen or has been narrated something like this, and nobody knows the box-office results of these kinds of films. So, I went ahead and made the film. Now, after I took the film again to the same people, they were ready to buy the film but wanted the team to be out, wanted the rights, and wanted it to be remade with the stars. This is very unfortunate, especially for independent filmmakers like us, but this is what it is like. You know, this is terribly frustrating. I just wanted to make something new, give the audiences something new. This was kind of an exploitation that we faced.
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How easy or difficult was it to be the director and actor in the same film?
It was extremely difficult but it was for my team that we completed it through with many hiccups. But the interesting part was, I had all the takes with me. I used to take them home, study those with the cast and technicians and we all used to discuss and decide which angles or which shots would be right fit or would look the best.
Upcoming work?
I have a few scripts ready, and I think by next year another project will come up.
The film release in Bengaluru on September 15