Last month, India secured an unprecedented milestone at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, bagging three remarkable awards. Payal Kapadia made history as the first Indian director to win the Grand Prix for her film “All We Imagine As Light.” Anasuya Sengupta was honored with the Best Actress award in the Un Certain Regard strand for her performance in “The Shameless.” Furthermore, the FTII student Chidananda S. Naik received the Best Short Film award in the La Cinef section for “Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know.” Despite these wins, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has voiced his frustration, contending that these achievements belong solely to the independent filmmakers themselves and not to India as a nation since the government does not support such award-winning cinema.
In an exclusive interview with PTI, Kashyap remarked, “I get very upset when it’s said ‘India@Cannes’. While this is indeed a boost for many independent filmmakers, their victory is their own. India didn’t have any moment at Cannes; not a single one of those films are Indian in essence. We should address the situation as it truly is: India has ceased to support this kind of cinema—the kind that gets showcased at Cannes.”
Highlighting the film “All We Imagine as Light,” produced by Payal Kapadia, Kashyap noted that it was the first Indian film in 30 years to feature in Cannes’ main competition, which is known for providing a platform to new voices in the industry. Interestingly, the film received funding from a French company, making it an Indo-French co-production between Petit Chaos of France and Chalk and Cheese Films from India. Several films at Cannes with Indian themes or talent at the helm were also co-productions with international film banners.
For instance, Sandhya Suri’s “Santosh” and Karan Kandhari’s “Sister Midnight” were funded by UK entities, while Konstantin Bojanov’s “The Shameless” was almost entirely self-funded. However, Chidananda S. Naik’s “Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know” emanates from the TV Wing One-year program at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
“India likes to claim credit for numerous accomplishments,” Kashyap said. “Yet, it does not support these films, nor do they facilitate their release in cinemas.” He cited Kapadia’s 2021 Cannes award-winning documentary “A Night of Knowing Nothing” as an example, emphasizing that it still hasn’t been released in India. “Stop taking credit for it. Let’s pause this false celebration..
.. Even if the film gets released, no one will go to watch it in theaters,” Kashyap asserted.
He also mentioned Shaunak Sen’s documentary “All That Breathes,” which won the Golden Eye award at Cannes 2022 but was released directly on a streaming platform instead of Indian theaters. Kashyap lamented the fate of independent films like “Jaggi” and “Pokhar Ke Dunu Paar,” which won awards at various festivals but are likely to find homes on streaming services rather than on the big screen. He was also critical of the emphasis on influencers parading on the Cannes red carpet.
Discussing India’s “obsession” with Cannes, Kashyap noted, “It’s more about the red carpet than the films themselves. This makes me even angrier… Geetanjali Rao won three awards at Cannes for ‘Printed Rainbow’ back in 2003, yet it went largely unrecognized. There’s no support system here for such talents.”
In an open letter following her win, Payal Kapadia, also an FTII graduate, called for the establishment of a government fund dedicated to supporting women filmmakers and under-represented groups, drawing inspiration from a similar initiative by the Kerala government. Kashyap, whose films like “Gangs of Wasseypur,” “Ugly,” and “Kennedy” have been screened at Cannes in various sections, expressed surprise when former FTII chairperson Gajendra Chauhan took credit for Kapadia’s win. Chauhan, a BJP politician known for his role in “Mahabharata,” had faced resistance from FTII students, including Kapadia, during his controversial tenure as FTII head.
“The worst part is that the man who put the case against her and jailed some students is the first one to take credit for her win, saying he’s proud of being the FTII chairperson at the time. It’s hypocritical,” Kashyap added.
The filmmaker also pointed out the challenges that critically acclaimed smaller films like “Joram” and “All India Rank” face due to inadequate marketing and visibility compared to big-budget films. He praised the South Indian movie industry for its efforts in balancing marketing and ticket pricing for both high-budget and smaller films.
Directed by Aditya Datt, Kashyap will next be seen in the web series “Bad Cop,” where he stars alongside Gulshan Devaiah. The action-drama will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on June 21.
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