Ramleela based film Mandali producer Prashant Kumar Gupta is elated on getting good responses for the film despite limited screenings

Mandali producer Prashant Kumar Gupta

Producer Prashant Kumar Gupta's recently released feature film Mandali under the banner of Reltic Pictures, which is based on Ramleela stars Rajniesh Duggall, Brijendra Kala, Aanchal Munjal, Abhishek Duhan and Vineet Kumar in prominent roles. Helmed by director Rakesh Chaturvedi Om, the film has been selected for the Indian Panorama section of the 54th IFFI, 2023.

Touted to be inspired from Munshi Premchand's story Ramleela, it also stars an ensemble cast of Kanwaljeet Singh, Alka Amin, Ashwath Bhatt, Saharsh Shukla, and Neeraj Sood.

Producer Prashant Kumar Gupta of Reltic Pictures, spoke at length about the challenges of an independent filmmakers, on facing marketing hiccups during release for not getting censorship on trailer from CBFC and film's subject.

He stated, "As an independent filmmaker, I have managed to market my film well, but getting an appropriate number of screenings has been a daunting task. The competition between big-banner films and filmmakers for maximum screen time is cutthroat, leaving new filmmakers with little or no chance. This is a major problem in our industry, and I believe there should be a standard norm for ensuring that every film gets a certain number of screens."

Talking about the marketing hiccups faced by the film, he says, "The censor board not approving my film's trailer took a toll on my mental well-being and the film's commercial prospects. It disrupted the marketing campaign and caused significant financial losses. The film's release during the auspicious period between Dussehra and Diwali would have been ideal, given that it is based on the life of Lord Rama. However, due to the censor board's negligence, the audience was unable to connect with this film as trailer is a medium to generate interest among the people. Because of which less people showed up to watch the film. Moreover, as new filmmakers with no big banner backing, we struggled to generate buzz for our film. Until the trailer was released, the responses were huge. However, as many other big-banner films were slated to be released near the film's release date, and due to their influence and contacts with the censor board, CFBC did not pay attention to our film, resulting in no response for trailer approval."

Sharing about the kind of responses the film is getting so far, he mentioned, "Our film, Mandali, has been selected for the Indian Panorama section of the 54th IFFI, 2023. This selection is a testament to the film's vibrancy and diversity, which reflects the best of Indian cinema. We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from audiences, who have praised the film's concept and its timely message of preserving and protecting our culture."

On speaking why should audiences watch this film, he tells, "Mandali is an important film for everyone to watch, as it showcases Ramleela on the big screen. It can help to create awareness and educate children about Lord Rama and Ramleela, before this cultural tradition is lost forever."