We may all have heard about low budget films or of high (big) budget films. But, ever hear of zero budget movies? Yes, you read it right. Bollywood’s first zero budget movie has been conceptualized and is in its final stages, all thanks to writer-director Tejas Padia, a Gujarati. The movie Lo..! Ho Gai Party is Bollywood’s first zero budget film, which means no cost incurred, at all.Veteran actors Manoj Joshi and Satish Kaushik have acted in the film, a comedy without taking a single penny.
“It all depends on luck. Some were good friends of mine and so I convinced them to work in my movie without pay. The other professionals, I had to convince them that this is a unique film and its zero budget nature. Luckily, they agreed. The cast, the cameras, assistant directors, location, pre- and post-production etc, the whole movie has been made with zero cost. Not even stationery or website designing and posters of the film also didn’t cost us at all,” says Tejas, who has written the script and was also cinematographer.
The one-and-half hour comedy revolves around five youngsters, who plan to have a party, when things go wrong. So what made him make a zero budget film? “It was in 2000 that I aspired to make a zero budget film. But that didn’t happen. Then, after my mobile film ‘Ek Shukravar’ received appreciation from APJ Abdul Kalam, I thought reviving my idea of making such a film. It took me 14 months to make this film,” says Tejas. Twenty-nine year old Tejas is from Mahuva town of Saurashtra and has been in Mumbai for nine years.