bangalore mohanlals christmas release might well break a new ground in the concept of film financing in malayalam cinema the funds for the film will be collected through a fundraising technique known as crowdequity funding a popular idea in the west to raise funds for startups the concept has been introduced by three nrks based in the middle east santhosh kottayi bijou antony and preeta nair the model permits anyone to invest in the production company who can expect preferential shares in return the idea perceives film financing as a prospective investment venture we have moulded the concept of crowdequity funding in such a way that our friends and colleagues who are interested in our movie project could be part of the venture by investing in it the investments are capped at a maximum of rs 5 lakh per investor which is well within the risk appetite of the investor profile we have had so far said bijou antony an entrepreneur based in dubai the trio has formed a production company called finecut entertainments private ltd which is producing the film the film will be directed by joshiy and the script is being penned by suresh nair who coscripted vidya balans kahaani unlike crowd funding where fund is mobilised from the public equity funding allows investors to own shares and remain investors for a longer period and they can even benefit from the future production and distribution projects of the same company dividends will be distributed to each investor based on the profitability of the company the idea was floated on facebook which became the main platform for close friends to invest in the company we had an overwhelming response from movieloving friends who have a flair for business residing in india us europe and the middle east we intend to keep this as an entity of a closeknit group of likeminded people who are already doing well in their own professional lives this is a film financing model that has got a good scope to turn around as a profitable investment in the long run said preeta nair a senior financial analyst based in kuwait the model ensures that the movie sails through the breakeven point prior to its release the total budget of the movie is realized before the movie releases even while being optimistic the company founders are well aware of the risks involved we have a positive outlook but there are risks involved just like any other business our investors are all known to us and mostly good friends we have a transparent approach and they are kept in the loop on the project developments while investing they are aware of the business and the inherent risks involved as the investment involved per investor is low the investors are well aware of their risk appetite they have chosen said santhosh kottayi