Cooperative in Maharashtra shows the big picture

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Keywords: maharashtra, spandan cooperative

Mumbai: You've heard of cooperative banks and stores but a cooperative in Maharashtra is actually making a film on a cooperative production basis.

The plan isn't just to make money, it’s also to make a film that they would like to see themselves.

What's unique about this love story is that it has not one, not two, but several producers who have pooled in money. A filmmaking workshop is where it all started, which members of the Spandan cooperative from Pune invested in.

Students and regular job holders from the co-operative then took the idea forward and went on to make this feature film.

"We aren't making this film for money it is our interest in filmmaking that made us take this up,” says Amarjeet Amle, producer and Spandan Cooperative chief.

Made on a shoestring budget of Rs 85 lakhs, the film deals with the theme of teenagers growing out of adolescence.

The makers of the movie are targetting the semi-rural and rural audiences, as they feel it addresses an issue relevant to them.

"We want families to go and see it together. We want young people to go and see it,” says Milind Ukey, director, Humne Jeena Seekh Liya.

In the past, Shyam benegal's Manthan was produced by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation to send out the message of social change created by milk cooperatives.

Spandan's cooperative effort will also send out a message, that of love for films inspiring common people to go the extra mile.