Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 15, 2014)

After failing to raise money for his upcoming independent film, a disillusioned Rajat Kapoor had poured out his frustration in a tweet stating that he is planning to go back to theatre. Never had he thought that a simple tweet can do what months of his hard work couldn’t. Within hours, he landed a producer.

 Manish Mundra, a NRI with a petrochemical factory in Nigeria who followed Rajat on the social networking site and had watched his films, tweeted back saying he was interested in investing in the project.

When Mirror contacted Manish in Nigeria, he confirmed the news over the phone and said: “Rajat sent across his cell number and we had a telephonic conversation. He offered to send me the script but I was more interested in the budget.”

The writer-director-actor however needed some convincing. He didn’t initially take Manish’s interest in the project as a genuine one as he had absolutely no Bollywood connections. But to his surprise, Manish flew down to Mumbai, met him and signed up as the producer of Aankhon Dekhi before flying back leaving him to make the film the way he wanted. “He returned when the film was ready and fortunately liked it a lot. Now, Manish is so gung-ho about the medium that he plans to make at least one film a year,” said a delighted Rajat.

And Manish is ready with his second project, X: Past Is Present, made by 10 directors, with Rajat as one of the actors in the motley cast. He is also in talks for a third film. His debut production, Aankhon Dekhi, which is about an elderly man who one fine day decides he will only believe what he sees, is gearing up for a March 21 release.

“It is a modest budget for a Hindi film but the biggest budget I have worked with. If the film works, maybe Manish and I will collaborate on another film,” said the still-awed Rajat who is yet to believe his luck.

His producer added, “I’ve invested Rs 8-10 crores in the film which is small for Bollywood but big for me. But it’s worth the expense.”