Shuttlecock Boys
Shuttlecock Boys is an independent film directed by Hemant Gaba & produced by Pankaj Johar and Hemant Gaba. It's a film made by all first timers in the cast and crew. Most cast are non-actors and didn't have any formal training. The film was shot handheld on 16 mm with sync sound using real locations in Delhi, Noida & Gurgaon. Plot. "Shuttlecock Boys" revolves around the lives, successes and failures of four friends who hail from lower-middle-class backgrounds in Delhi. Protagonists Gaurav, Manav, Pankaj and Loveleen seek answer to the questions like "should we accept  what life offers to us on a platter or should we try to chase our dreams, taking the path less taken?." They decide to embark upon an eventful journey that will change the course of their lives and careers forever. The one thing that unites these four friends is their common love for badminton. Every evening they meet for a couple of games in their neighbourhood joking about their lives and pulling each other's legs. This part of the day is the most pleasant part of their otherwise dreary lives. While playing badminton one such night, they decide to  do something on their own. This very attempt becomes their lifeline putting them on a litmus test of determination, courage, luck and spirit of friendship. Production. The film was shot in 18 locations over a period of 22 days in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida. There were no formal permissions to shoot on the roads, markets and highway, so everything was done in a Guerilla Style. The interiors were all real locations mostly office locations and houses. Not having money to light exteriors in the night, a 5 row grid was created of Chinese Lanterns (having 5 of them in each  row) by DOP Shanti Bhushan & Associate Cameraman Nuthan Nagraj to shoot badminton scenes in the night. There were not enough funds to hire professionals in key areas like Production Design, Costume & Line Production. Bhavya Palia who had never even seen a film set joined stepped in as Line Producer in the very last moments just before the shoot and eventually managed the production along with Producer / Executive Producer Pankaj Johar. Prachi Singh who was initially hired just as an Assistant Director ended up donning multiple hats and handled costumes and production design. Catering was managed by Pushpa Gaba from Director /Producers' homes. Music. There are four songs in the film – All four songs are composed & sung by Avinash Baghel. The songs have been used as background score. Reviews. Shuttlecock Boys had a limited release in theaters in select cities on 3 August 2012.