Can't Postpone A Film On The Army: How Anupam Kher Crowdfunded Tanvi The Great After Financier Pulled Out Of The Project Last Minute

Not with the intent of entertainment or education, veteran actor Anupam Kher asserts that he directed Tanvi The Great, 23 years after his directorial debut Om Jai Jagadish, for spreading joy and goodness through his central character, an autistic woman with a will to join the Army.

"When I decided to direct again, I thought I must have something to share with the world. Is it entertainment? I'm already doing that as an actor. As an educator, I have an acting school, and I'm a motivational speaker. If I'm making a film, it must do something to people, so that they say 'This is what Anupam Kher believes in' and it came in the form of my 13-year-old autistic niece. The film is based on her name," Kher told Republic Media Network's Editor-In-Chief Arnab Goswami on his Open Mic podcast. 

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Tanvi The Great released on July 18 and opened to terrific critical reception. However, the box office numbers are on the lower side. But, Kher remains optimistic. The movie has been made tax-free in Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi and that should boost collections. The actor who has donned many hats over his 4-decade-long professional career, shared that making the movie was not an easy task. The team hit a roadblock when a financier pulled out of the project at the last minute, leaving them stranded for funds.

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"I wanted to make this film and since its the Army, I wanted it to have a big canvas. The budget came to be around ₹50 crore. I didn't want to go to the studio as I was opposed to the idea of them tampering with the script. A financier came in and offered 50% of the budget, which is a huge amount. However, they backed out of it at the last minute. I told my CEO that if this film is not made now, it will never be made. I can't postpone a film on the Army, on autism on goodness, just because someone stopped giving me money. Eventually, it was crowdfunded by my friends who have nothing to do with the movie business. The more I'm pushed to the wall, the more I'm made to feel like I can't do it, the more adamant I become. That's where you find your strength," Kher shared.    

About the commercial aspect of the movie making business and the returns that Tanvi The Great will eventually make, Kher remains slightly unbothered. "In the last ten years, cinema has become so much business. This is great because I'm part of the world, but we think if the film does not do well, it is not a great film. But if I ask you what are the top five films, you will name the ones that touched your heart somewhere. You will not talk about how many hundreds and thousands of crores it made. I have made that effort and I'm getting the returns. Old people, young people and everyone else is saying its a movement," Kher concluded.