• Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest policy, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Leopold Cartman 133 (talk) 19:41, 4 May 2025 (UTC)

Mann Behka is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language independent slow burn coming-of-age drama film written, directed and produced by Raghav Pillutla. Starring Ishaan Anand, Anoushka Gupta, Aarav Bhatnagar, Amit Kalra and Raghav Pillutla, the film is a character study of Manav Aggarwal, a good natured and naïve 19-year-old, as he navigates through his personal life filled with trials and tribulations over the course of a memorable summer.

Mann Behka premiered at the 10th Rajasthan International Film Festival, receiving the award for Best Debut Director for Hindi Feature Film.^[1]

Self-financed and independently produced by Pillutla through his own pocket and limited resources accessible to him, the film was made on a shoestring budget over a period of five years from conception to release. Scenes were meticulously rehearsed and shot guerilla style with available light and a skeleton crew.^[2][3]

The film follows the life of Manav Aggarwal, a good natured and naïve 19-year-old, who shares an extremely toxic relationship with his domineering girlfriend. Even after repeated suggestions from his friends to call it quits with her, he is unable to do so. All of a sudden, in comes another girl, with a contrasting personality to that of his girlfriend. In a poetic tale of unconsummated first love, the film follows their strong equation over the course of a summer through which Manav's perspectives, thought processes and paradigms alter - all whilst trying to navigate through his personal life, in the challenging phase of adolescence.

• Ishaan Anand as Manav Aggarwal
• Anoushka Gupta as Alia Chopra
• Aarav Bhatnagar as Mohit Pandey
• Amit Kalra as Jack D'Souza
• Raghav Pillutla as Daksh Aggarwal
• Sara Gogna (as the voice of Akanksha Hasnandani)

The director, Raghav Pillutla, revealed^[4] that the idea for Mann Behka emerged during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 while playing online chess with a friend. As their game progressed, the friend shared his ongoing relationship troubles prompting Pillutla to realize that many adolescents in their late teens undergo a similar experience. Reflecting on this conversation, Pillutla recognized the storytelling potential of such a relatable theme. Recollecting similar experiences of several friends, Pillutla shaped his thoughts into a basic premise, which eventually evolved into a cohesive screenplay for the film.^[4]

Pillutla stated his vision arose from "an innate urge to accurately portray the educated middle-class adolescent in contemporary Indian society, additionally aiming to empower those oppressed in toxic relationships – in a rather authentic and relatable manner."^[3]

After completing an initial 45-page draft, Pillutla cast his first character: Mohit Pandey, played by Aarav Bhatnagar – a childhood friend who had also appeared in one of his short films. "The more I fleshed out Mohit's character, the more I realised that Aarav would pull it off well.", he said. For the role of Manav Aggarwa;, Pillutla posted casting calls across social media, connecting with Ishaan Anand, an amateur theatre actor at the time. Alia Chopra's role was initially played during rehearsals by a friend of Pillutla's, who later had to step down for personal reasons. Pillutla then approached Anoushka Gupta – a former collaborator from another short film, who secured the part after a compelling audition. Due to unavailability during reshoots, the role of Jack D'Souza was recast with Amit Kalra, with whom Pillutla had worked on a previous project.^[5]

After intense rehearsals with the entire cast, filming took place for roughly a week in 2021. At that point, the screenplay of Mann Behka was merely 45 pages long, and production was intended more as a learning experience – using in-camera sound and aiming to create a longer short film. However, after reviewing the dailies, Pillutla wasn't satisfied with the overall outcome noting several loose ends.

Reworking the screenplay into a 110-page draft, Pillutla took the opportunity not only to tighten loose ends but also to delve deep into each character's complexities, aiming to create a professional, low-budget independent film. Unforeseen changes in crew due to availability issues led Pillutla to expand the team, while maintaining minimal on-set presence.

With limited finances, modest upgrades in filming equipment, extensive planning across departments and intensive cast rehearsals, the film was shot guerilla style. The cinematographer relied on minimal lighting set ups and available light innovatively, to emphasize realism. Being aware of strict time constraints, no location sound was recorded.

Filming was scattered across six weeks during the summer of 2022, scheduled around the cast and crew's other commitments, with high scene volumes shot on each shoot day. Pillutla described this process as "extreme", noting:

"The only way the film could be completed was if I stayed within my means, making optimal use of the limited resources available to us. This proved to be a blessing in disguise, since the entire cast and crew always had to bring their best to the table and be in tandem, even during high pressure situations. Navigating through these situations often warranted us to think ingeniously in order to execute our plans effectively and on time."^[6]

The film was shot in and around the area where Pillutla was living at the time.^[3]

The film's post-production spanned eighteen months, executed with precision in a systematic manner to offset a lean crew. Editing began in July 2022, with the final edit being locked by March 2023. Automated dialogue replacement was used for all dialogue, completed over fifteen days. Sound design took three months, while colour grading, minimal VFX and original music were completed in just over a month. Including stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixing, the film was finalized by December 2023, ready for its festival run.^[5]

Mann Behka premiered at the 10th Rajasthan International Film Festival on January 28 2024, where it received the Best Debut Director for Hindi Feature Film award.^[1]

The film will be publicly available, releasing on Raghav Pillutla Films'^[7] YouTube channel on May 30 2025.