Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has raised a critical voice on the international stage, asserting that India did not truly have a moment of triumph at Cannes 2024. He emphasizes that the success of the independent filmmakers at the prestigious European gala belongs solely to them and has nothing to do with government support.
India secured a remarkable three awards at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival last month. Payal Kapadia made history by becoming the first Indian director to win the Grand Prix for her film “All We Imagine As Light.” Anasuya Sengupta received the Best Actress accolade in the Un Certain Regard section for her performance in “The Shameless,” and Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) student Chidananda S. Naik won Best Short Film in the La Cinef section for “Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know.”
In an exclusive interview with PTI, Kashyap expressed his displeasure with the narrative that India’s achievements at Cannes should be celebrated nationally. “I get very upset when it’s said ‘India@Cannes’. This is a boost, a shot in the arm for a lot of independent filmmakers but their victory is their own,” he said. “India didn’t have any moment at Cannes, not a single one of those films is Indian. We need to address it the way it should be addressed. India has stopped supporting such cinema, the kind of cinema that was at Cannes.”
Kashyap highlighted the financial challenges faced by these filmmakers. For instance, Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light” received funding not from India but from a French company, making it an Indo-French co-production between Petit Chaos from France and Chalk and Cheese Films from India. Although numerous films featured Indian stories or talent, most were co-productions with countries that provided the necessary funding. Indian-British filmmaker Sandhya Suri’s “Santosh” and Karan Kandhari’s “Sister Midnight” were UK-backed, while Konstantin Bojanov’s “The Shameless” was nearly self-funded. Chidananda’s “Sunflowers…” was notably a project under FTII’s TV Wing One-year programme, indicating limited but focused institutional support.
Kashyap vehemently said, “India just likes to take credit for a lot of things; they do not support these films and they don’t even support these films to have a release in cinema.” He went on to mention Kapadia’s documentary “A Night of Knowing Nothing” which won accolades internationally but has yet to see a release in India. “Stop taking credit for it.
. Let’s stop this fake celebration. Even if the film is released, no one will go to watch it in the theatre.”
He also pointed to the example of Shaunak Sen’s documentary “All that Breathes,” which received the Golden Eye award at Cannes 2022 but never saw the light of Indian cinema screens, going straight to streaming platforms instead. This trend continues with independent films like “Jaggi” and “Pokhar Ke Dunu Paar,” which have won international awards but will likely end up on streaming services rather than theatrical releases in India.
Shifting his focus to the media’s coverage, Kashyap was critical of the intense spotlight on influencers walking the red carpet at Cannes. “This obsession India has with Cannes… More than Cannes, it’s about the red carpet. That’s on another level,” he said. Kashyap recalled Geetanjali Rao’s three awards at Cannes in 2003, pointing out the lack of recognition and media coverage in India at the time. “There’s no support system here.”
In the aftermath of her win, Kapadia, a graduate of FTII, authored an open letter seeking increased government support for women filmmakers and under-represented sections to encourage independent filmmaking. She lauded the Kerala government for starting a similar initiative, underscoring the need for more expansive support.
Kashyap, known for films like “Gangs of Wasseypur,” “Ugly,” and the recent “Kennedy,” which has been screened at Cannes, expressed surprise when former FTII chairperson Gajendra Chauhan tried to take credit for Kapadia’s win. “The worst part is that the man who put the case against her, and sent some students to jail, is the first man who took the credit for her victory,” referring to the 2015 protest against Chauhan’s appointment and the subsequent legal actions against students, including Kapadia.
Discussing the broader landscape, Kashyap lamented the Indian film industry’s prioritization of commercial successes over quality cinema. “At the end of the day, in India everyone is here to do business. No one wants to do good work, everyone wants to do hit work,” he noted. He cited the difficulties faced by critically acclaimed films like “Joram” and “All India Rank,” which struggle with marketing and visibility compared to big-budget films.
Kashyap did, however, praise the South Indian film industry’s approach to marketing and ticket pricing, which supports both big-budget and small films adequately.
On a separate note, Kashyap will soon be seen in an acting role in the web series “Bad Cop,” directed by Aditya Datt. The action-drama series features Gulshan Devaiah as Karan, a cop chasing a more formidable villain, and it will premiere on Disney Hotstar on June 21.
