About the project

Every parent adores their child, particularly when it is their first. That is exactly what Dulo, Humotion’s founding project is for us. Dulo is an engrossing 10-minute film that will leave an indelible impression on your mind. This film is expected to screen at the world’s most prestigious film festivals including Sundance, TIFF, Venice Film Festival, and Raindance. Dulo will be released on an OTT platform thereafter.

Synopsis

A 9-year-old orphan stumbles upon a special toy in the midst of a hostile war zone, propelling him to be the alpha among his peers. Will his newfound power lead him to justice, or will it lead him astray? This film is about a power struggle in the midst of a futile war.

Genesis

We all have our stories to share, some that we live, and some that live within us. As a child who developed a strong passion for filmmaking, Ajinkya places a significant emphasis on the uniqueness of the plot. Doing something different, a little off the beaten path brings him great joy and fulfillment. He believes that emotions are universal, that they are essential for all humans regardless of race, class, creed, or gender. A story should be written for a global audience because what binds us together is the array of emotions that it evokes.

As a producer, Ajinkya had been looking for a story like this for a long time, until he met Mehkansh. For the first time, he met someone who shared his point of view and passion for filmmaking. There was a bean of a story in the corner of their minds, dust-covered beneath everything that happened during the day. They picked it up, dusted it off, and sowed it in. This story is now ready to be told, provided with a little help from our audience.

What’s the progress? What’s left to be done? What’s the film’s schedule?

The pre-production phase has been completed successfully. With the cast in place and the final script in hand, the locations have been finalised. We also have teams ready for production and post-production. We’re all set now that the formalities have been completed and the only thing left to do is to shoot the film, edit it, and release it.

As our backers, we will take you through every step of the process by sending you regular updates on the film’s progress as well as behind-the-scenes insights. According to our plans, we will begin filming in the first week of August 2021. The film is scheduled to be ready for festival screenings in December 2021.

Look and feel

Our Squad

Ajinkya found fate connecting him to movies all along his life’s path. Having received international acclaim for his films at the age of 14 and running a post-production studio at the age of 16, Ajinkya is well-versed in all aspects of cinema. His vision and goal became to innovate the global cinematic landscape. What drives him? Telling stories and developing technology are two of his favorite things to do. He jumps into the first phase of a cinematic revolution after working with veterans such as Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Anju Kish, Makarand Deshpande, and Trishla Patel and gaining traction after being invited to MIT for the XR hackathon.

To know more about me, visit www.ajinkyahukerikar.com  

Mehkansh Kathuria, Writer | Director

A maniac who is enthralled by anything and everything related to art. He is a bundle of exceptional talent, having worked as a performer, a writer, and a producer, as well as doing voice overs and writing commercials. His film Mirchi Café (2019) has received over 20 awards and has screened at over 40 film festivals, including the Dada Sahib Phalke Film Festival (2019). An artistic lunatic capable of inhaling and exhaling Mahabharat, Beethoven, contemporary art, and even the stars (both in and out the planet).

Check out his directorial work:

Extra Cheese (link)

Mirchi Cafe (link)

Varun Girdhar, Co-Producer

An engineer who makes his debut in the film industry. From technicals, he made his way into films. His love for movies combined with his understanding of technology allows him to work in both the tech and entertainment industries. He correctly applies the quote, “Do what you love and love what you do”.

Saloni Chopra, Creative Producer

Imagine a girl curled up in the corner of a room, nose in the pages and specs too big for her round face. Excellent! She’s the one. As an educator, she has the opportunity to influence and learn from the lives of many people. Playing with words and writing down snippets of life in the thread of sentences is by far her favorite hobby, aside from reading novels and consuming films, of course! Her life motto is to always be a learner.

Aastha Toprani, Executive Producer

Aastha is a producer, photographer, singer/songwriter, actor and a dancer. She’s made her own short films, experimented with virtual reality and worked in the production team for critically acclaimed Bollywood filmmakers including Ashutosh Gowariker and Ali Abbas Zafar. A savvy artist scaling the ladder to success in the field of media and entertainment.

Bharrat Khanna, Post Production Head

Bharrat is an independent editor and colorist at Colos Studios with a background in filmmaking and visual effects. His ability to comprehend the film’s aesthetic visuals along with the technical know-how makes him a deserving post-production head. He has worked with prominent editors like Ballu Salluja and Siddharth Meer. His work includes feature films and Netflix projects.

Mihir Fichadiya, Cinematographer

A keen observer who is passionate about capturing emotions using lenses, sun and shadows. A Whistling Woods alumnus who has worked for a range of established companies including Dharma, Levi’s and Netflix. His goal in life is to inspire people by creating picturesque frames and visuals.

Check out his work at ​https://www.mihirfichadiya.com

Krishna Purohit, Music Composer

Krishna is a promising musician and producer who spent his college years recording and performing music with his first band, Fatman’s Entourage. He received his training from Ramesh Iyer, a legendary guitarist and former assistant composer to RD Burman. His love of movies attracted him to Whistling Woods International Film School, where he studied film composition and music rhythms with Dee Wood, a Californian musician based in Mumbai. He also served as a sound engineer at the Bandra Base, an independent music venue and performance studio, where he worked with music genres as diverse as jazz and Indian classical.

Ishita Doshi, Production Designer

Do you need some design inspiration? Or do you have to stick to a budget? She’s your lady. Peers and critics alike admire her abilities in artistic visualization and financial management. Working closely with people’s ideas and bringing them to life has always fueled her imagination and continues to do so.

Aditya Bharadwaj, Editor

“Twisted portrayals of characters with grey shades that raise socially relevant themes” are how his projects are characterized. Aaditya has a keen editor’s eye, and his cinematic handling and stylized editing have been well received by IMDB and international film festivals. Aditya has a talent for creating intricate scenes and dramaturgy. An editor with extensive pre-production and post-production experience visualizing the pace, sound and edit of a film.

Aman Verma, VFX Designer

A lone wolf ranger who abandoned his forced engineering dream in order to follow his true love, ART! He can write poetry in any language, be it Urdu, Hindi, or English because he has the mind, heart, and pen for it. A visionary who creates VFX has found his way into this small but vast world of cinema.

Trisha Bhardwaj, Brand Strategist

Trisha can rebrand Ogilvy’s legacy and sell a comb to a bald guy. A branding specialist with substantial experience of working in media agencies is currently handling the Humotions brand. Her previous work experience also involves designing celebrity homes.

Parth Chhatrapati, Marketing Manager

Imagine a human-button that releases a new, out-of-the-box idea every time you push it. That’s Parth! He has a slew of ideas and the courage to put them into action. His interests include sports, spoken word poetry and philosophy on rare occasions. He is also a core member of the Humotions Branding team.

Chintan Dedhia, Assistant Director

A film student who has extensive experience documenting events for colleges and other institutions. Chintan has worked as an Assistant Director on the feature film Marjavaan, Humkadam: a television series and the play “Same Time Next Year”. He aspires to pursue his career in sound designing.

Vatsal Shah, Assistant Director

A comic who survives the hustle by relying on his humor and sarcasm. He’s been a quirky writer and spends more time on stage than learning how to recognize and not fall for a pyramid scheme. He’s a budding psychologist with a profound love for movies.

Gauraang Samant, Assistant Director

Gauraang is a budding filmmaker with an insatiable appetite to tell tales. Unseen Zone (2021), Human Find (2020), and Dev Ghar (2020), to name a few, are some of the short films he has written and directed.

Release plan of the film

Post completion, the film will be screened at various National and International film festivals around the world for the next year and a half. Talks with OTT platforms are already underway for an OTT release after finishing the film festival rounds.

The film will be officially released online in November 2022.

Why crowdfunding? How will the money be used?

The total budget of the film is 17.71 lakhs. The producers have put in a total of 3.5 lakhs for the film. We, however, recognize that if this project has to reach its true potential, crowdfunding is a check box we must tick. And it is here that you, our supporters, come in to help us and be a part of this journey.

Cost Breakdown of 17.71 Lakhs:

• Pre Production – ₹66,200
• Equipments – ₹2,54,500
• Crew Wages – ₹98,800
• Talent – ₹1,20,000
• Production Design + Logistics – ₹2,45,000
• Location – ₹1,50,000
• Post Production – ₹40,000
• Production + Miscellaneous – ₹87,000
• Film Festival Entry – ₹1,50,000
• Marketing & Agency – ₹2,60,000
• Additional Costs – ₹3,00,000

Total Funding required – ₹14,21,500

We want to maintain transparency with our patrons. To study the Total Budget Breakdown in detail, Click here.