How RGV shot Dongala Muta in five days

Ram Gopal Varma has been having a rough time off late, what with most of his recent films being rejected by the audience and the critics alike.

But that doesn't seem to bother the maverick as he moves on to new projects with gusto. He recently created a buzz when he shot a Telugu film titled Dongala Muta in just five days last month. The film is ready for release this Friday.

Dongala Muta made headlines because of its new method of filmmaking that included a five-day shoot, an eight member crew and negligible production cost (the actors and technicians will be remunerated from the profits of the film). 

'I wanted to explore the technology of Canon 5D,' said Varma when he was asked why he chose to make Dongala Muta.

'There was no need to shoot beyond five days. We followed a 9am to 6pm schedule on all the days,' he added. 

The film does not have a cinematographer or a DOP as about four Canon 5Ds were used to film the movie. These cameras were used to capture every shot in multiple angles without the use of lights or additional equipment.

Dongala Muta, made on a shoestring budget, is the first film shot on this camera. It was shot in natural light.

'By using Canon 5D, anyone can make a film anywhere without assitance from anyone," RGV said. "It has democratised the process of making a movie. We just wanted to prove that movies can be made with much less costs in a very short span of time with this technology.'

This may encourage aspiring filmmakers who have stories to tell but limited resources. After all, as Varma said, what really matters is 'imagination, creativity and the ability to narrate a story well' on screen.

The cast of the film includes Ravi Teja, Prakash Raj, Brahmanandam, Charmi, Laxmi Manchu, Subbaraju, Brahmaji and Supreet.