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ભાડેનો દીકરો Bhaade No Dikro A Son for Hire

Forty old parents in a Gujarat village have children in Toronto, New Jersey and Melbourne. They all have the same son: Jigo, 26, paid by the visit. Hospital, ₹200. Smiling behind you on a video call, ₹50. Family photos, not available.

See the film ₹1.1 lakh raised · ₹7 lakh to go
Gujarati & Hindi · English subtitles12 minComedy-dramaOne village, North Gujarat
THE FILM IN ONE MINUTE

A comedy about a boy who gets paid to be someone's son.

01 · THE VILLAGE

The children left. The parents stayed.

Navapura, a small village in Gujarat. Its young people have moved to Canada and America. Their old parents live on alone.

02 · THE JOB

Jigo, the son for hire

The sons abroad pay Jigo, 26, to stand in for them: hospital visits, smiling behind Papa on video calls, touching feet in front of guests. Every service has a price on his laminated rate card.

03 · THE TWO FATHERS

Kantibhai and Natubhai

Kantibhai's son hired Jigo, and Kantibhai calls him "staff". His friend Natubhai laughs at him, and tells the whole village his own son phones every night at nine.

04 · THE TURN

One question at lunch

Over a meal, Kantibhai asks Jigo something nobody has ever asked him: What do you like to eat? A job that was never meant to become a family starts to become one.

You'll laugh for most of it. The ending is the part people will remember.

LanguageGujarati & Hindi, English subtitles
Length12 minutes
GenreComedy-drama
ShootOne village, North Gujarat
StatusScript ready · casting under way
Budget₹8.1 lakh · ₹1.1 lakh raised
In pre-production. Rahul Mishra and his team are actively working to bring this film alive.
Why this film has to be made

In village after village in Gujarat, the son lives in Toronto and the father eats alone.

Someone has to take him to the doctor. In our film, that someone charges ₹200.

For eleven minutes you'll laugh at the rate card. The twelfth minute is why we're making it.

0%

of the 250 elderly people surveyed in a 2024 Gujarat study were lonely.

Damor et al., Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 2024
1 village

Three main actors and a bench of village elders, shot in five days in real homes. Nothing has to be built and nothing has to go abroad.

Oscar route

Made for the Oscar-qualifying short-film festivals: Palm Springs ShortFest, SXSW, Bengaluru International Short Film Festival, Indy Shorts and Aspen Shortsfest.

That's what we're aiming for, not something we can promise.
SCENE 1 · KEEP SCROLLING TO PLAY IT

Watch the opening before it's shot.

Real lines from the script. Scroll down slowly, and the scene plays.

INT. PRIMARY HEALTH CENTRE · NAVAPURA · MORNING

A bench of the village's old people, waiting for the doctor. Every one of them over seventy. Every one of them alone. Except for one young man, who seems to be with all of them.

DOCTOR

Shardaben Patel! Saathe kon?

[Who's with her?]

JIGO

Dikro.

[Her son.]

Ramanbhai Patel. Jigo swaps folders and stands up with him. "Dikro." Kantibhai Patel. Jigo swaps folders again.

DOCTOR

Tamare ketla baap chhe?

[How many fathers have you got?]

JIGO

Aaje traan. Ravivaare paanch.

[Three today. Five on Sundays.]

KANTIBHAI

E maro staff chhe. Suresh e Toronto thi raakhyo chhe.

[He's my staff. My Suresh hired him. From Toronto.]

NATUBHAI

Staff! Bhaade no dikro, ane naam paadyu staff!

[Staff! A rented son, and he calls him staff!]

NATUBHAI

Maro Kamlesh roj nav vaage phone kare. America thi.

[My Kamlesh phones every night at nine. From America.]

KANTIBHAI

Phone ma BP na mapaay.

[A phone can't take your BP.]

DOCTOR

Kaka, tamari saathe kon?

[Kaka, who's with you?]

NATUBHAI

Nav vaage aavse.

[He comes at nine.]

 

BHAADE NO DIKROA Son for Hire
THE RATE CARD

Hire Jigo for a day.

JIGO – SEVA

laminated · hand-lettered · non-negotiable

Kul₹0

Tap any line to book Jigo. In the film, Natubhai asks the price "only to know", then pockets the card. Payment goes to Jigo's phone, which says what he did and what it cost.

NATUBHAI

Davakhana nu ketlu? Aa to khaali puchhu chhu.

[How much for the hospital? I'm only asking.]

Try the last line.

INT. KANTIBHAI'S HOUSE · SUNDAY MORNING
Suresh · Toronto
● LIVE

An old house with a new laptop. Jigo works like a film crew. He turns the laptop so the damp patch is out of frame, puts a bowl of fruit beside Kantibhai and does up his top button.

Then he takes his position in the background, and smiles.

SURESH

Papa, tame dubla dekhaao chho. Jamo chho ne?

[Papa, you look thin. You are eating, aren't you?]

KANTIBHAI

Jamu chhu ne.

[Of course I'm eating.]

Out of frame, Jigo slides a banana into his hand. Kantibhai peels it on camera, as evidence.

SURESH

Jigo barabar kaam kare chhe? Samaj na group ma review lakhvo chhe.

[Is Jigo doing his job properly? I have to post a review on the group.]

KANTIBHAI

Saaru kare chhe. Thodu vadhaare hase chhe.

[He's all right. Smiles a bit too much.]

In the background, Jigo's smile switches off.

Jigo's phone pings.

Then a second ping.

BEGIN MONTAGE

One day of Jigo's work.

Every half-hour of his day is booked under someone's name. He eats at every house, and at every house he's eating for another son.

08:00 · THE SCOOTER

TAPED TO THE DASHBOARD

A laminated timetable.

Every half-hour of the day is filled with a name. He keeps three folders of reports, one under each arm and the third between his teeth.

12:30 · LALITABEN'S KITCHEN
પાત્રાPATRA · ROLLS OF SPICED LEAF

LALITABEN

Paresh limbu nichovto.

[Paresh always squeezed lemon on it.]

Jigo eats fast, his left forearm curled around the plate. She's on the phone to Paresh. Nobody sees the arm.

13:30 · SARLABEN'S HOUSE
ઊંધિયુંUNDHIYU · HIS SECOND LUNCH

SARLABEN

Ketan sev naakhto. Ane be vaar leto.

[Ketan always put sev on it. And he always had seconds.]

Jigo is already full. He loosens his belt a notch and holds out his plate.

21:40 · JIGO'S ROOM
ખીચડીKHICHDI · ALONE

A rented room above the paan shop. He eats from a dented steel plate, forearm curled around it, though there's no one in the room to take it.

Contacts40 contacts

Forty names. Not one without a bracket.

END MONTAGE

Then it's nine o'clock.

ON THE OTLO
(a cow, six inches away)
BEHIND THE COWSHED
9:00 PM
Kantibhai holds out a peanut.
THE TABLE · ONE CAMERA POSITION, WHICH WE KEEP COMING BACK TO

Nobody has ever asked him what he likes to eat.

INT. KANTIBHAI'S HOUSE · DAY

A wall clock that ticks too loud. A garlanded photo of Kusum. Two steel plates, each with a name engraved on its rim, the way every Gujarati home marks its steel.

KANTIBHAI

Tu pan jami le.

[Eat something yourself.]

JIGO · checks the card

Card ma nathi, Kaka.

[It's not on the card, Kaka.]

KANTIBHAI

Mafat.

[Free.]

Jigo sits at the plate marked SURESH. He eats fast, his left forearm curled around the plate. Kantibhai looks at the arm.

KANTIBHAI

Tane shu bhaave?

[What do you like to eat?]

JIGO

Patra... na, e Paresh nu. Undhiyu... Ketan nu.

[Patra... no, that's Paresh's. Undhiyu... that's Ketan's.]

JIGO

...Khabar nathi.

[...I don't know.]

KANTIBHAI

Aatlo moto thayo ne khabar nathi?

[All grown up and you don't know?]

JIGO

Koi e puchhyu j nathi.

[Nobody's ever asked.]

KANTIBHAI · after a long moment

Kaale kehje.

[Tell me tomorrow.]

THE NEXT DAY

"You never told me, so I made everything."

Seven steel katoris, each under its own lid. His fingers are yellow with turmeric and one has a fresh burn. He cooked all of it alone. Lift the lids.

Kantibhai watches Jigo's face like an exam invigilator.

THE LAST SCENE

On the last day, the table is laid for three.

The third plate is new enough to shine, and it has a name engraved on it too. We're not telling you whose. You'll read it in a cinema, and that moment is why we're making this film.

Scene sealed until the premiere
THE PEOPLE

Two fathers and one son shared between them.

Casting under way
Jigo26

Shirt tucked in, pen behind his ear. He's the son of forty people, and every contact in his phone has a bracket after the name.

"Card ma nathi, Kaka."

Casting under way
Kantibhai76

Ironed shirt and a walking stick he doesn't need. His son hired Jigo from Toronto, and Kantibhai calls him "staff".

"Phone ma BP na mapaay."

Casting under way
Natubhai78

His Kamlesh calls every night at nine, from America. Every night. He tells everyone on the otlo.

"Nav vaage aavse."

THE VILLAGE

Navapura is made up. Villages like it are real.

Haveli lanes that are half locked, an otlo under the neem, peanut fields, and a bench outside the clinic. We shoot the whole film in one village in North Gujarat.

Location references from Wikimedia Commons: Emmanuel Dyan (Ditala, CC BY 2.0) · Raman Patel (Dudhala, CC BY 3.0) · Nizil Shah (Ambasan and Siddhpur, CC BY-SA 4.0). These aren't our final locations.

THE MONEY · UPDATED 8 OCTOBER 2026

₹1.1 lakh is in. ₹7 lakh makes the film.

We've divided the film into 81 frames of ₹10,000 each. Eleven are already paid for. Hover over or tap any frame to see what it pays for.

₹0raised of ₹8,10,000
₹7,00,000still needed · 70 frames to go
Paid forWaiting for a supporter1 frame = ₹10,000
✓

Script locked

Draft 10
Done
What it was

Ten drafts. The 12-minute bilingual shooting script is ready.

What you can see

Serious supporters can read the full script (Gujarati with English) on request.

✓

Seed money raised

₹1,10,000
Done · frames 1–11
Pays for

Location recce, casting and auditions for Jigo, Kantibhai and Natubhai, and casting the village elders on the clinic bench.

You'll receive

Recce photos, audition tapes of the shortlist and the final cast, all shared with supporters before we lock.

3

Pre-production

₹1,40,000 · frames 12–25
Funding now
Pays for

Rehearsals with the cast, costume, and the props that carry the film: the laminated rate card, engraved steel plates and seven katoris. Also location fees and permissions.

You'll receive

A budget sheet showing planned and actual spend, with every bill attached. Photos of the props and rehearsal clips.

4

The shoot: five days, one village

₹3,60,000 · frames 26–61
Next
Pays for

Cast and crew fees, camera, lenses and lights, sound, travel, stay and food for the unit, and insurance.

You'll receive

The daily call sheets, behind-the-scenes photos from set each day, and the shoot-week spend report with bills.

5

Post-production

₹1,40,000 · frames 62–75
Locked till shoot
Pays for

Edit, sound design and mix, colour grade, music, and English subtitles.

You'll receive

A private link to the rough cut for supporters at ₹25,001 and above, plus the final post bills.

6

Festival launch

₹60,000 · frames 76–81
Locked till post
Pays for

DCP and festival masters, submission fees, and a press kit for the Oscar-qualifying festival route.

You'll receive

Every submission and every selection, posted to you on the day it happens.

HOW YOU'LL KNOW WHERE YOUR MONEY WENT
Thanked by name

Every supporter is thanked personally by Rahul and named in the film's credits.

Released milestone by milestone

Money is spent only on the milestone that's live. You'll get a report before the next one opens.

Proof, not promises

Bills, photos, call sheets and clips at every step, sent to all supporters at once.

One person you can call

Rahul answers the phone himself. His number is on this page, not hidden behind a form.

PERKS · IN SHAGUN AMOUNTS

Join the family. Unlike Jigo, you're allowed in the photo.

Each level includes everything in the levels below it. Every supporter is named in the film's credits and gets every milestone update.

SUPPORT THIS FILM

Pick a level. Call Rahul. It's that simple.

Send on WhatsApp See payment details
Rahul MishraWriter & Director · Mumbai
Call or WhatsApp+91 98929 20023
Emailrahulmishra554@gmail.com
WhatsApp Rahul Call now

Investors, co-producers and festival programmers: ask for the pitch deck and the full script.

PAY DIRECTLY

Scan, pay, and you're part of the film.

All payments go straight to Rahul's own account, in the name RAHUL MISHRA. Check that name in your UPI app before you confirm.

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Thank you, truly. Once you've paid, drop Rahul a hello on WhatsApp with your name and the level you chose, so he can thank you personally, put your name in the credits and add you to the milestone updates. Say hello on WhatsApp
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK
Who is making this film?

Rahul Mishra, a Mumbai-based filmmaker with more than ten years on Hindi and Kannada films, including Manjhi: The Mountain Man, Article 370 and Fateh. He wrote the script and is directing it, and he and his team are in pre-production now.

Why are we asking you, and not a studio?

Because we didn't want a studio deciding what this story should be. Studios bring their own formulas: a manufactured plot, a star the story doesn't need, a village that looks like a set. We wanted to make an honest, beautiful film exactly the way it's written, and the only way to do that is to make it with people who love stories as much as we do. That's you. When it's made, this film will be as much yours as ours.

How do I know where my money goes?

The budget is split into six milestones, shown above. Money is spent only on the milestone that's live. At every milestone, all supporters get the bills, photos and a budget sheet showing planned and actual spend.

Can I give an amount that isn't listed?

Of course, and please don't ever feel it's too small. A film like this gets made one person at a time, and every single rupee you send carries your faith in a story that hasn't been shot yet. That's a big thing to hand someone, and we don't take it lightly. Whatever you give, ₹100 or ₹1,00,000, you're trusting us before you've seen a single frame. So we'll treat it with more care than our own money, show you exactly where it went, and thank you by name. You get the perks of the highest level your amount reaches, and our gratitude either way.

I want to be a bigger part of this film.

Call Rahul on +91 98929 20023. Co-producers, brands and investors can ask for the pitch deck and the full script.

Rahul Mishra at the monitor on a film set
THE DIRECTOR
Rahul Mishra

Rahul is a Mumbai-based filmmaker. He has spent more than ten years as an assistant director and assistant producer on Hindi and Kannada films, and he writes Hindi audio drama series. He wrote Bhaade No Dikro over ten drafts and will direct it. Rahul and his team are actively working to bring this film alive.

Manjhi: The Mountain Man IMDb ↗ Article 370 IMDb ↗ Fateh IMDb ↗ Afwaah IMDb ↗ Choona IMDb ↗ Dancing on the Grave IMDb ↗
IMDbSee Rahul's full filmography
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