‘Nukkad Naatak’: How street theatre and social media helped this indie film stand out

The title card of Nukkad Naatak, the Hindi independent film written and directed by Tanmaya Shekhar, reads, “How to Enter Bollywood presents” — a nod to the film’s social media campaign of 25 short-form videos that helped build early buzz.

The campaign emerged when Tanmaya, along with co-producer and actor Molshri, realised that making a film was only half the job; reaching audiences without a star or a known production house was the bigger challenge. They even hired a caravan, travelling across 15 cities in North India to promote the film, often staging street theatre performances along the way.