Mayasabha director Rahi Anil Barve revealed that the film was made by just 23 people on a 7-figure budget starting in 2018. He shared an emotional note celebrating teamwork over money or ratings
Mayasabha team
Tumbbad director Rahi Anil Barve has returned with his second feature film, Mayasabha. The film, starring Jaaved Jaaferi in the lead, was released in theatres on January 30. While it has opened to mixed reviews, Barve has been actively promoting the film on social media, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from its making. Following the release, the filmmaker revealed that work on Mayasabha began in 2018 with no money and that the film was made by just 23 people.
The team behind Mayasabha
Sharing a picture of the crew that made the film possible, Barve wrote, “2018 end. 23 crew men. 4 mad actors. Day and night in one old theatre. 21 days. 90-pager script written by hand. 0 fees (paid my own bike petrol money). Javedji’s asthma in dust and fog. Our exhaustion.”
He further added, “Girishbhai and Ankur—just two men acting as line producers, EPs, producers, and financers, while the whole industry smirked. One day Raj-DK arrived to say hi. Later, I learned that before greenlighting my mega-budget Gulkanda Tales with Prime, they had come to judge my on-set capacities. What they saw was this team.”
Mayasabha budget
Barve also said that he is proud of the film and stressed that ratings are not what matter the most. “We 23 guys made Mayasabha on a 7-figure budget. Me, Kuldeep (DOP), Girishbhai, and Ankur. I’m proud of us. We are filmmakers. Money, fame, names—all aside—first, we make films we love. If that doesn’t matter, nothing does. Anyone who says ‘I alone made this film’ is lying—to the world or to himself. Enjoy creating. Don’t fear 2-3-5-star ratings. Just make sure the people who trusted you and invested in you get their money back,” he wrote.
Mayasabha was made on a small budget by a small team, but with big ambitions. Concluding his note, Barve said, “Kuldeep. Girishbhai. Rahi. Ankur. Four broke guys made Mayasabha in 2018 with 19 young teammates, on a budget hardly anyone will believe. Almost zero-budget filmmaking, without losing production values and without any industry support, is possible. You may like or dislike Mayasabha, but it proves one thing—it’s possible. I’m proud of us. We did it. You can too.”
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