I happened to see Kannada director Pawan Kumar’s Lucia and I was really impressed with the film. And what was more amazing was that he had made a wonderful film through crowdfunding. He raised Rs 51 lakh through his blog and Facebook – and he thanked each one of his investors in his film.
If anyone has read Pawan’s blog you’ll know the angst and issues he faced to kickstart his second film before he went the crowdfunding route. But it has paid off rich dividends today. Lucia is releasing across India on September 6! (I suggest you watch it and I am not saying it for anything else except that it is a very good film.)
It seems the crowdfunding trend started in India very recently and perhaps Pawan’s film is the first one to see actually see such a large-scale release – thanks to PVR.
The struggle that Pawan faced to get his second film going is something that so many directors go through. And this despite the fact that his first Kannada film, Life Ishtenu, was a superhit.
It’s unfortunate that creative people don’t often get their due but crowd funding could be the platform for them in the future. It’s still in its nascent stage in India but reports say that USD 100 million is expected to be raised in Asia this year through crowdfunding.
But crowdfunding as a concept is not new to our country – we donate money to collectively build schools, help charitable organisations, etc. Crowdfunding films has a risk element to it but if people believe in the people and the project then it’s sure to be a success. Just like Pawan Kumar and his Lucia. Don’t miss it!
Lata Srinivasan 
I’m definitely gonna watch this movie.