It's never easy to make original films: Rajat Kapoor on why he turned to crowd-funding for RK/R Kay

Telling an original story has never been easy in the Hindi film industry but Rajat Kapoor is not one to give up.

With biggies like "Kapoor and Sons" and "Dil Chahta Hai" behind him as an actor and critically acclaimed films like "Mithya" and "Ankhon Dekhi" in his kitty as a director, getting funds for his latest venture should have been relatively easy.

But the actor-filmmaker, who has long straddled the different worlds of Bollywood and independent cinema with ease, found it a struggle to raise money from conventional sources for "RK/ R Kay".

Left with few options, Kapoor, 57, has reached out to viewers directly for the film, which is scheduled to begin shooting in November.

"RK/R Kay" is one of three complete scripts that Kapoor wants to adapt for the big screen. He has put out details about the film and crew members on Crowdera, a free crowd-funding platform that helps individuals, non-profits and independent filmmakers raise money online.

"You film buffs, lovers of cinema and casual but enlightened film goer... So many of you who have commented earlier about 'Ankhon Dekhi' or 'Mithya' and wondered why we don't make more films like these. I ask you for your support," he said in his appeal.

Kapoor, who has been trying to raise funds for the film for the last three years, said he is optimistic about the platform.

"The film is in the making. We begin shooting in November. We still have a long way to go. We have collected about Rs 38 lakh through crowd-funding. We also found a co-producer who is willing to fund 50 per cent of the budget. The crowd-funding will continue because we still need Rs 1 crore. I am optimistic," Kapoor told PTI in an interview.

"Ankhon Dekhi", which examined the nature of truth through the story of an old Delhi family patriarch, played beautifully by Sanjay Mishra in what critics believe one of his finest performances,