Payal Kapadia’s film premieres at the 77th Cannes Festival: ‘All We Imagine as Light’ is the story of two women searching for light amidst darkness

Thursday was a great day for India at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. On one hand, Chidanand S Nayak’s Kannada film ‘Sunflowers: Where the First Ones to Know’ of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, won the Best Film award in the ‘Le Cinéf’ Cinefondation segment, while on the other hand, after 30 years, an Indian film was selected and screened in the main competition segment at the Cannes Film Festival. That film is Payal Kapadia’s Malayalam-Hindi film ‘All We Imagine as Light’. Earlier in 1994, Shaji N Karun’s Malayalam film ‘Swaham’ was selected in this segment of the competition. Payal’s films were also selected in 2017 and 2021. Earlier, when Payal Kapadia was studying at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, in 2017, her short film ‘Afternoon Clouds’ was the only Indian film selected in the Cinefondation segment of the 70th Cannes Film Festival. After this, in 2021, her documentary ‘A Night of Knowing Nothing’ was selected in the Directors Fortnight category of the Cannes Film Festival. Not only this, the film also received the Golden Eye Award for Best Documentary then. Payal created history this year However, this time Payal Kapadia has created history because she has been selected in this segment in Cannes along with world’s legendary filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, who made cult films like ‘The Godfather’, Oscar winner Paulo Sorrentino, Michael Hazavicius and Jiya Jhankay, Ali Abbasi and Jack Odiyar David Cronenberg. Distributors and buyers from all over the world have shown interest in this film. The film premiered on Thursday The grand premiere of young filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s film ‘All We Imagine as Light’ took place at the Grand Theatre Lumiere in Cannes on Thursday evening. The audience welcomed the film by clapping for a long time. Payal Kapadia and her team entered the red carpet with great pomp and show. Cannes Film Festival director Theri Fremon welcomed them with open arms. Payal also held an official press conference at the event where she discussed the film’s production process. What is the story of the film? The film revolves around two nurses from Kerala, Prabha and Anu, who live in Mumbai. Both live in the same flat. Before Prabha could understand anything, her family members get her married. Soon after the marriage, her husband goes to Germany and never inquires about Prabha. Prabha is waiting and hoping that her husband will return one day. A Malayali doctor from her hospital is attracted to her but Prabha refuses. Both the women are shocked when one day a parcel arrives from Germany. It is clear that Prabha’s husband has sent her a gift after many years. The other nurse, Anu, falls in love with a Muslim boy Shiaz who has come to Mumbai from Kerala. She keeps looking for a place to meet him in this crowded city. Another middle aged woman has been cheated by a builder because she has no paper proof of depositing money after her husband died. Prabha and Anu plan to travel with the cheated middle aged woman to a coastal city outside Mumbai. Anu also calls her lover as she will get a chance to spend intimate time with him. One afternoon an unconscious man is found lying on the seashore. Destiny is continuously taking away light from the lives of these women. Prabha also tells Anu that Mumbai is Mayanagari, whoever does not believe in Maya will go mad here. In such a big city, two women are together in the desire of light while darkness is increasing around them. The lead roles in the film are played by Kani Kasturi, Divya Prabha, Chaya Kadam, Hridhur Haroon etc. Ranbir Das’ cinematography is very good and never deviates from its focus. The crowd of Mumbai, the sky, the clouds, the rain, the wind and the sea along with the sounds of this neighborhood seem to transform into numerous characters of the film through Ranbir Das’ camera. Author: Ajit Roy (Senior journalist and film critic)

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