Jackky Bhagnani says actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Prachi Desai did not charge anything for his short film "Carbon", which talks about environmental issues.

Asked if casting Nawazuddin was part of his plan, Jackky said here: "No, it was never a part of my plan. When I did think about it, everyone said, 'He won't be interested in working, he has been doing big films, he is a big star now'. But I said that he is a true actor.

"If he listens to our concept and sees our intention, I am sure he won't reject it. We didn't have a budget... We were all working for free.

"It was my project, my baby so it's understood that I worked for free, but when we reached out to them (Nawazuddin and Prachi), they both were very generous. They didn't charge anything. Both Prachi and Nawazuddin worked for free."

Jackky spoke on the sidelines of an eco-friendly Raksha Bandhan event here on Friday.

"Carbon" is a short film set in 2067 and talks about sensitive issues like scarcity of oxygen and its adverse effects on the environment and the forthcoming generations.

Celebrating an eco-friendly Rakhi - ahead of the festival which falls on Monday - was in sync with the subject of the film, as it was about planting more tree and creating awareness about the same.

The eco-friendly rakhi is made from pure cotton with a seed in the centre, which can be planted.

The film will release on Large Short Film's YouTube channel.