Director Payal Kapadia (second right) Grand Prix award winner for the film All We Imagine as Light poses with cast members Divya Prabha (right) Kani Kusruti (left) and Chhaya Kadam (second left) during a photocall after the closing ceremony of the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Mumbai: Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, the winner of the Grand Prix award at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, is set to be released in limited screens across Kerala on Saturday, the makers announced on Thursday.
Production house Spirit Media, founded by Baahubali star Rana Daggubati, has acquired the exclusive rights to distribute the Malayalam-Hindi film in India.
The movie, titled Prabhayay Ninachathellam in Malayalam, will subsequently be released across all major cities in India. It is an official Indo-French co-production between Chalk and Cheese Films from India and petit chaos from France Zico Maitra (Chalk and Cheese Films) and Ranabir Das (Another Birth), who also served as the cinematographer on the film, serve as the Indian producers on the movie.
Kapadia, an alumnus of the FTII who charted history by becoming the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix award for All We Imagine as Light, said she is thrilled to have her film released in India.
“At the heart of the film are two women who come from Kerala to work and realise their life’s ambitions in Mumbai. So, it is only appropriate that the first state to see the film in theatres is to be Kerala. I’m excited for the film to be watched in all parts of India as our release progresses,” the filmmaker said.
All We Imagine As Light stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, and Chhaya Kadam.
It follows Prabha (Kusruti), 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, who is 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.
Daggubati said his banner is proud to release the film in the country.
“We are proud to be able to bring this incredible film to audiences in India, starting with Kerala where the two leading characters of the story are from.
"Indian cinema has a rich legacy of storytelling, and this film captures the Indian experience through characters speaking multiple languages coming from different parts of the country with similar shared dreams to a metropolis like Mumbai,” the actor-producer said.
All We Imagine As Light made history earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, where it became the first Indian film ever to win the prestigious Grand Prix. It was also the first film from India to make it to the European gala's main competition in 30 years.
The film also features Hridhu Haroon and Azees Nedumangad.