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Why Tumbbad Took Six Years to Make

Tumbbad’s six-year journey included evolving scripts and production, three years of visual effects after most filming, and a rough cut trimmed from about 200 minutes.
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Tumbbad took six years to reach release because its development and production kept evolving, its visual effects continued for years after most filming was complete, and its lengthy rough cut needed major editing. Sohum Shah, the film’s lead actor and producer, said the team had been working on it since 2012; most of the film had been shot by 2015, followed by three years of visual-effects work. That is a six-year journey through production and post-production—not six years of continuous filming.

What did Shah mean by six years?

In an interview published by Scroll on October 8, 2018, four days before the film’s scheduled release, Shah said the project had been in the works since 2012. “We have been in the zone since 2012, and we are relieved that it is finally coming out,” he told Nandini Ramnath.

The six years encompassed the film’s development, shooting, completion and preparation for release. Scroll reported that most of the film had been shot by 2015, so the headline figure should not be read as six years of principal photography.

Why did production keep evolving?

Shah said the team filmed the original script, then decided to tweak it. More people joined the production, and he put in additional resources. The project also lost one producer before gaining another, according to Scroll. These changes made the production a developing process rather than a fixed plan carried out from start to finish.

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Shah described the film as an unusual opportunity without ready-made references. “We didn’t have references for the film, and we kept working on it,” he said. He also rejected the idea of rushing it: “I am not bragging, but it could not have been made in any other way.” Those are Shah’s explanations of the creative process, not independently audited production records.

What happened after most of the film was shot?

Visual effects took three more years

Scroll reported that most of the film had been shot by 2015 and that the visual effects took three more years. Shah also emphasized the importance of rain, production design and visual effects to the mood he wanted, in a separate IBTimes India interview. The account points to a combination of creative and technical demands, rather than one element alone, in the long completion period.

The edit was cut roughly in half

The rough cut ran about 200 minutes, Shah told Scroll, and was reduced to “100-odd minutes.” Editing was therefore another substantial stage between the original assembly and the version ready for release.

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Why was the film hard to make and finance?

Tumbbad is a period fantasy-horror story that begins in 1918. It follows Vinayak’s repeated pursuit of treasure guarded by the demon Hastar, with greed and debauchery at the center of its moral tale. Its setting and atmosphere demanded a particular creative approach, while Shah said the team had no reference film to follow.

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Director Rahi Anil Barve later recalled to Cineuropa that completing the film still took six years after Shah joined, and described the difficulty of pitching it by comparing it with another successful film. That account offers context for the project’s challenge, but does not isolate any single cause for the schedule.

The project’s production path also changed: Scroll reported that it was originally intended for Recyclewala Films, where Shah and Anand Gandhi had been partners before parting ways. Shah eventually procured the film’s rights; Colour Yellow Productions then joined Eros International to distribute it.

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