Indie maker dresses up as fox, hits streets to promote film

If you happen to see someone dressed as a fox at malls, metro stations, or movie halls, don’t mistake him for a ‘bohurupi’.

For the last six days, Hemwant Tiwari is promoting his indie movie, ‘Lomad’ (The Fox), on the bustling streets of Kolkata. Hailed as the world’s first black-and-white movie shot in a single take, Tiwari has put all his savings into making this film a reality.

He took a unique approach to let people know about his movie due to lack of funds. Dressed in a fox costume, Tiwari holds a board which says: “Find a cut in my film and get double the price of your ticket.”

“Lomad means fox, so I chose to dress up as a fox to promote the film,” said Tiwari, who has been seen in his fox attire, promoting his movie at various well-known places in Kolkata like Nandan, Victoria Memorial, Indian Coffee House, South City Mall, Metro stations, and even on buses.

The 97-minute film without any cuts follows the story of a boy and a girl who reconnect through social media nearly a decade after passing from the same school. However, their reunion leads them to make pivotal choices that shape their lives. “I have approached almost all OTT platforms but everyone wants a popular face in the film. Since I had invested all my savings into ‘Lomad’, I had no money to promote the film professionally. So, I thought of hitting the streets,” said the filmmaker.

Tiwari has promoted his film on the streets of Mumbai, Delhi, Noida, and Gurugram too. Despite being born in Bihar, his early formative years were spent in Kolkata, where he also attended school in Ballygunge. This connection with the city made him particularly keen on having the film released there.

Cinematographer Supratim Bhol, who shot the single-take film, praises Tiwari for his unwavering confidence. “For six months, we rehearsed the scenes and perfected the camera movements, as every detail needed to be captured flawlessly in one continuous shot. I’m pleased that Tiwari had the confidence in me to shoot the film,” he said.

Renowned filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker took to Twitter to mention ‘Lomad’, and this indie film received awards at several film festivals, including the Vancouver Independent Film Festival, Santa Monica Film Festival, and One Take Film Festival.

Tiwari also bagged the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival Award. However, Tiwari expressed his disappointment that despite the surge in popularity of OTT platforms, the situation for indie films hasn’t improved significantly.