Payal Kapadia (second from left), winner of the grand prix for ‘All We Imagine as Light,’ poses with actors Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam and Kani Kusruti at the 77th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Saturday, May 25, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
All We Imagine As Light actor Kani Kusruti says the “surreal” Grand Prix win of Payal Kapadia’s film at the Cannes Film Festival belongs to not only its cast and crew but also to several women in India who never got the opportunity to showcase their talent on a global stage.
Last Saturday, Kapadia became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix, the second highest honour at Cannes, for All We Imagine As Light. American director Sean Baker’s Anora scooped the top prize of Palme d’Or at the 77th film extravaganza.
All We Imagine As Light was already under focus for being the first film from India to make it to the European gala’s main competition in 30 years; last one being Shaji N Karun’s 1994 Malayalam film Swaham.
Kusruti, who had tears of joy in her eyes at the time, said she was happy because Kapadia truly deserved it.
“It feels surreal… That feeling that it was historic for her to receive the Grand Prix… I was extremely happy at that time. I almost couldn’t believe it happened. On the stage, I felt it was Payal’s win but at the same time somehow I was also reminded of all the women who never got the opportunity to showcase their talent, who we haven’t recognised in life,” Kusruti told PTI in an interview.
“I felt like this was for all the women in India who have not been able to be on that stage,” the actor said.
The Malayalam-Hindi film follows Kusruti’s Prabha, a Mumbai nurse whose life is thrown in disarray when she receives a rice cooker from her estranged husband.
Divya Prabha plays Anu, her roommate and colleague, struggling to find a private spot in the city to spend time with her boyfriend. Prabha’s best friend Parvati (Kadam), a widow, is being forced out of her home by property developers.
Asked if the Cannes win would bring any change to her life or career, Kusruti, 38, said, “I don’t think any change will happen in my career and that’s not how a change should happen in an actor’s life.” Known for the 2020 award-winning Malayalam film Biriyaani and web series Maharani and Poacher, Kusruti had to fly back to Kochi from Cannes soon after the award ceremony as she had to start shooting for Malayalam web series Eyes with Manu Ashokan.
“I would have liked to spend one-two more days with the team. Really wanted to share the happiness so I quite miss a lot of them. I’m waiting for Divya to come back to Kochi and spend some time with her,” she added.
From receiving an eight-minute standing ovation at Cannes post its screening to receiving glowing reviews in international press, All We Imagine As Light clicked at the gala like no other film from India had in recent times.
The actor said the film resonated mainly with the audience in France and from around the globe as cinephiles “seek all kinds of expressions” at such international festivals.
“The film has the characters go through emotions that are extremely personal but it also resonates with everybody in the world. The audience for films who seek out all kinds of films at festivals will naturally resonate with them.” According to Kusruti, Kapadia’s script was “poetic, gentle, subtle yet very moving”. She also credited cinematographer Ranabir Das and film editor Clement Pinteaux for their work.
