New blast from ‘Tumbbad’ director, ‘Man Pishach’ made in just Rs 33,000, trailer surprises!

After the success of 2018’s superhit horror fantasy film ‘Tumbbad’, its director Rahi Anil Barve is all set to shock the audience once again. This time his project is ‘Man Pishach’, which is not only a psychological-horror film, but it has been made entirely with the help of AI and Photoshop, on almost zero budget. The trailer of the film was released on 14 March.

A village full of mystery and fear

The story of the film revolves around a lonely junior officer, Sadashiv Rao, who is sent to a remote village called Hadamgaon under the Department of Archaeology. A strange stone dome has recently appeared in the village after a hill caved in.

When Sadashiv Rao stays in the house of Savitri, a young widow, he begins to experience the strange traditions of the village: doors that close on their own at night, deserted streets, and the silence of secrets that the villagers never reveal. Gradually, Rao realizes that there is something very scary and dangerous lurking beneath the hill and within the villagers.

Unique experiment made in zero budget

Rahi Anil Barve has made this film with a budget of only Rs 33,000. The film is 80 minutes long and features only two actors, Yaniya Bhardwaj and Deepak Damle.

The resources used in the preparation of the film were also extremely limited but creative. It used a 60-page script, hand-drawn storyboards, iPhone recording, Photoshop and generative AI, and After Effects. Rahi said, “This is a zero budget experiment. If one artist gets inspired by this and creates something, with absolutely no resources, and enjoys the journey, then that is success for me.”

Result of 4 months of hard work

The script of the film was written by Zai Gulmohar keeping in mind the limitations of AI. Instead of focusing heavily on dialogue, the film conveys the story through visuals, silence and sound. Each shot was first sketched on paper to ensure visual coherence while overcoming the limitations of AI and saving time, money and resources. He also clarified that AI is only a tool, and its real power depends on human creativity, planning, and direction of acting.

The film took four months to shoot, with attention to detail being given to each shot. Rahi said that instead of hastily giving AI commands, he brought human experience and sensibilities into every frame.

Release date and platform

Mana Pishach is scheduled to premiere on YouTube on March 18. This film can prove to be an inspiration for the new age artists and filmmakers that story and creativity are the real power, no matter how small the budget is. This experiment by Rahi Anil Barve will bring a unique horror experience to the audience and will prove that AI is just a tool, it is the human perspective that brings the story to life.