India's first web film to hit screens

In what is perhaps the first-of-its-kind experiment for Indian cinema, director Tanuja Chandra's forthcoming venture 'Hope, and a Little Sugar', has been produced almost entirely on the internet, from location hunting to costumes and script changes.

"The film has been produced by two US producers and since I could not be there during the whole pre and post production (sic), the entire thing was done solely over the internet," Chandra said.

The film, which stars Anupam Kher and Mahima Chaudhary among others, will be premiered at South Asian International Festival on October 6 and has been produced by Glenn Russow and Scott Pardo, two New York-based film producers.

"They read the script and were interested in making the movie, but since I could not be present throughout the pre production (sic) in the US, everything was done on the internet. Right from the location, which I chose on the basis of photographs they mailed me, to the curtains, which we got stitched here according to the measurements, everything was done on a protected website," she said.

"When we landed in New York for the shoot, we had not even met the producers. We actually got to know each other during the shoot, which was very interesting. The entire film was shot in a month's time, after which we headed back to India, and the whole process of post-production and editing began," she added.

"I worked on the editing and all the other post-production details on the internet and actually saw the film go through its different stages on a protected website," Chandra said.

Lauding the American system of movie-making, Chandra said, "Although we had never interacted personally, it was smooth sailing during the entire shoot, because they were so well organised."

However, this systemised way of film-making does have its drawbacks. "I shot the film over a year ago, but the American system of post-production is a rather meticulous one. They took a long time to reach the final edit, but the results are really worth the wait," Chandra said.

The film tells an emotional tale about a young, Muslim boy's tryst with a Sikh family with the events of 9/11 serving as a backdrop. The film stars Anupam Kher, Mahima Chaudhary, Suhasini Mulay, Vikram Chatwal and newcomer Amit Sial.

Chandra says she is praying her US visa comes in time for the film's premiere on October 6.