'My Son is Gay' makers start crowd-funding campaign

Chennai, July 13 (IANS) The makers of the upcoming Hindi film "My Son is Gay", about the emotional relationship between a mother and her gay son, have started crowd-funding campaign to raise Rs.4 million to complete the movie.

"We have already completed 25 percent of the project from the support and funds from our major sponsors Anil Saxena and Shahnaz Husain Starlight Herbal Salon. We have opted for crowd-funding because we don't have funds to complete the rest of the film," film's director Lokesh told IANS.

The team has already raised Rs.30,000 since the launch of the campaign Friday.

"We have joined hands with a Bangalore based crowd-funding platform called Fundmydream - http://fundmydream.in - to raise Rs.40 lakh (Rs.4 million). The response has been amazing so far. We received Rs.30,000 from various parts of the country in less than 24 hours," he said.

However, Lokesh feels it's extremely challenging to raise funds for a film that focuses on awareness about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.

"It's not easy to raise funds for a film like 'My Son is Gay', whose subject is still considered a taboo in the country. Even mainstream commercial filmmakers aren't ready to attempt such stories," he said.

"We felt we can't wait for a visionary producer to support and invest in this story. So, we came out with the crowd-funding idea. It would give us the control and freedom to deliver the film with artistic value without getting into regular commercial cinema strategies," he added.

Popular actress Anupama Kumar and newcomer Nakshatra Bagwe play the lead roles in the film, whose trailer was recently released and it went viral.

To attract contributors for the project, Lokesh has devised a reward strategy.

"Depending on the amount people contribute, they can become one of the co-producers, associate producers, executive producers and unit producers of the film. Funders can also visit the shooting of the second schedule, meet-and-greet the cast and even dine with them," he said.

"Funders will also get to watch the film before its theatrical release. There are so many more exciting rewards for all those who contribute," he added.

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My Son is Gay