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.

Actress Akriti Singh, best known for her performances in Broken But Beautiful, Kamyaab, Breathe, Photograph and scores of plays in the theatre, is making her directorial debut with a Hindi feature film, Toofan Mail. It’s not just the storyline which makes the film unique, but also the way it’s been made and funded.

The independent film 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.

They say films are made with crores of rupees, Akriti’s film  is proof that films are made with heart and passion. The film is shot with the help of Akriti’s friends and colleagues from the theater fraternity. Now The film is taking a new approach – Crowdfunding, to reach the finish line.

Akriti says she wants to revolutionise cinema by making ‘story’ the hero of the film again and not being bound by a lack of money.

*We realised that the producers’ and financiers’ loyalty lies with money. The film becomes secondary and suffers. Our approach to film making was bold. Everyone took up multiple roles while making the film. To shoot this way with limited money demanded a lot of hard work, ingenuity  and imagination,” says Akriti*

They have proudly managed to shoot and edit the film. Toofan Mail is in the finishing stage right now. The director explains, “The edit is locked and dubbing is done. We need funding for music, sound design and color correction. We will be crowdfunding the film through Wishberry. All good art requires a revolution and this film needs you to be a part of it. Crowdfunding enables us to keep the film first, front and center. Our friends, family, well-wishers, fans and film lovers will become a part of our film through crowdfunding.” says Akriti.

Please donate money and become a part of Toofan Mail the film. Let us help them realise the magic.

*Checkout project Toofaan Mail – Film crowdfunding on Wishberry. Wishberry, India’s No.1 Crowdfunding platform for creative artists !

Every actor has a dream to direct a film one day. Not every actor’s dream comes true but actress Akriti Kakkar can boast of the dream, of directing a feature film, is coming to fruition. She has been associated as an actor with Films like Broken But Beautiful, Kamyaab, Breathe and Photograph. Akriti Singh is a prolific theatre director too. Now she is set to make her directorial debut with a Hindi feature film, Toofan Mail.

Talking about the subject of her first venture as a director, Akriti says, “I was intrigued by 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 demanding to be allotted a palace to live in. This is a real story and has been covered by various newspapers and TV channels during that time. My film is a fictional take on this true event.”

Toofan Mail has been made using bare minimum resources, but it boasts of a lot of innovation. “Since we needed a railway station from 1974 and making the sets would prove very costly, we found a railway station that does not have digital display screens. The camera angles and lenses are chosen wisely to tell the story, but not reveal 2020 in the frames. Also, it is a story of/about Awadh and we shot it in Awadh – all the properties used in the film are authentic Nawab artifacts borrowed from the heirs of Nawabs from in and around Lucknow. One of them also acts in the film,” says the director.

She adds that despite the limited budget, there is no inauthenticity in any artifact or property – ranging from the colour and print of the currency in 1974 to big collared shirts and bell bottom pants worn by many. The cast of the movie comprises Akriti and Telugu actor Surya Rao, who makes his Hindi film debut with this project. “Everyone took up multiple tasks while making the film. I am the writer, director, editor, actor and the producer of Toofan Mail. The cinematographer is also the co-writer. All the actors doubled up as EPs and assistants director and sometimes even as spot boys,” she says.

Based on a real incident from the 1970s, the independent movie Toofan Mail will release on an OTT platform.