Outside the Mumbai Bubble - What Making 4 Indie Films Taught Me

When I started out, I didn’t move to Mumbai. Not because I didn’t want to grow in the industry, but because I didn’t see it as the only way in. Mumbai is full of opportunities, yes. But it’s not the holy grail of filmmaking. Especially today, when cameras are cheaper, stories are everywhere, and the internet gives you access to the same audience sitting in Delhi, Bhimtal, or Bhopal. I chose to stay back and make films where I was.

I’ve made four of them (One released, three on the way), and through them I’ve realised something deeply personal. That originality is my only compass. Especially now, at this strange midpoint, searching, shaping, and stumbling into what will become my artistic voice.

In a world flooded with information, AI tools, and copied ideas, the most radical thing you can do is create something that is completely, unmistakably your own.

Each of my films have been built from scratch, with no studio backing or fancy launch. I wrote them, directed them, edited them, designed their posters, pitched them, emailed festivals, and managed budgets, all while figuring it out on the go. It’s hard, but it’s real.

People often ask me, “So what course did you take to become a filmmaker?” And every time, I answer, “No course. Just pure hard work and talent.” What they don’t see is the hours spent in the editing of my first project as DA and post supervisor. A documentary that completely changed how I saw storytelling. Sitting with footage for days, figuring out pacing, emotion, structure.. It was like peeling back the layers of cinema itself. That one experience shaped how I write today, and how I direct. It taught me what to cut, and more importantly, what to leave behind.

Of course, there’s the other comment I hear way too often, “Yaar, teri life sahi hai. No corporate stress, no 9-to-5.”

I wish that was true, and I wish people understood how painfully uncertain this path is. There are no guarantees, no fixed salary, no mentor showing you the way. You could make a great film and still have no clue how to get it seen. The anxiety of not knowing where the next opportunity will come from, or if it will come at all, is the realest challenge that every corporate employee runs from.

Not to forget this becomes even more brutal when it comes to short films. Because distribution for short films is a black hole. You can spend six months making a film, and still not know where to release it. There’s no reliable system in place for monetising short films in India. Festivals give prestige, but no money. YouTube gives reach, but only sometimes. What we desperately need is a strong platform that helps indie filmmakers not only showcase their work but earn from it. And that will only happen if we stop competing for the same crumbs, and instead build something together — A collective effort to increase visibility, share resources, and create real value for this format.

A final (maybe most important) tip for my fellow indie makers - Marketing your film is not a side job, it’s part of the craft. Be unapologetic about promoting your work, package it well, and use every possible channel (Instagram, emails, WhatsApp forwards, reels, behind-the-scenes videos) to get people to care. Because if you don’t put your film in front of others, no one will. Good stories deserve to be seen, and the truth is, even the best film can disappear if no one knows it exists. Marketing isn’t about ego, it’s about survival. It ensures you’re able to make your next film.

At this point in my journey, I don’t have all the answers. But I know this -

Showing up matters. Being original matters. And backing your own voice, no matter how small it feels, is the first step to something bigger.

If you’re an indie filmmaker reading this, don’t wait for permission. Go make your film. Then go market it like it deserves the world. Because it just might.