There were a number of usual challenges that we came across while shooting as we were shooting on location, that too with non-actors. However, the greatest opponent in this project was time. 40 films in 28 days meant that we had less than a day for each film that we had to script, shoot and edit.

Another major challenge was to creatively communicate a lot of information in a short span. Add to these challenges the time required travelling the length and breadth of the country to reach out to our subjects and the locations, and the task becomes all the more challenging. Budget constraints meant we had to cut back on cost every step of the way. The language barrier, especially in the east, only added to our woes.

Nevertheless, planning, coordination and teamwork were the tools that contributed the most for overcoming these challenges. We divided ourselves into 3 teams of 3 each and travelled across the country. One team covered southern India (where 10 films were shot), another covered the north east (where another 10 were shot) and the third covered the rest of India (where the remaining 20 were shot). These teams coordinated through our base at Ahmedabad which was also responsible for editing and composition of original music for each of these films. Working round the clock, we managed to meet the deadline.

The films were screened in the presence of the then President of India in front of a large audience. Our work was highly appreciated and 9 years down the line, the films are still being used by NIF.