The Malayalam-Hindi opus, All We Imagine as Light, helmed by Payal Kapadia, inscribed its name in the annals of cinematic lore at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival by clinching the illustrious Grand Prix. This landmark victory marks a significant milestone, being the first film in three decades to represent India and the inaugural piece directed by an Indian woman to compete in the festival’s main echelon. Luminaries from India’s cinematic sphere, including Kiara Advani, Richa Chadha, Tovino Thomas, Swara Bhasker, Radhika Apte, Anurag Kashyap, and Bhumi Pednekar, have lauded Kapadia for her monumental achievement, elevating India’s global cinematic standing.
Bollywood icons showered accolades upon Payal Kapadia for her triumphant debut feature. Kiara Advani, for instance, shared a post from the Festival de Cannes on her Instagram Stories, tweeting, “Congratulations (trophy and red heart emojis).” Bhumi Pednekar echoed this sentiment by reposting a congratulatory note from the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with a simple, “Bravo (clapping hands emoji).” Radhika Apte added her voice, stating, “Huge congratulations to the beautiful and incredible people behind this film!!” Swara Bhasker succinctly expressed her amazement with an “Amazing!” on her Instagram post.
Tovino Thomas took to Instagram to laud the achievement, exclaiming, “Whoa! What a fantastic accomplishment for Indian film! Take a bow!” Celebrated filmmaker Shekhar Kapur tweeted about the triumph, remarking, “Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. What a privilege for her and her team. Looks like India is having a great year at Cannes.” Aditi Rao Hydari penned a reflective Instagram post, highlighting the film’s significance amidst the cacophony of current events, praising the independent nature of Kapadia’s directorial debut.
Richa Chadha, in an exuberant post on X, declared, “HISTORIC!!! Just beaming from this news! Congratulations Payal Kapadia, Ranabir Das, Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Hridhu Haroon, Chhaya Kadam and the whole team of ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT! Just overjoyed! Independent filmmaking at any point of time is hard, but now is actively scuttled, and then to win a GRAND PRIX! Ooof. Just thrilled.”
All We Imagine as Light unfolds the tale of Prabha, a nurse whose existence is upended by the arrival of a cryptic gift from her estranged spouse, set against the frenetic backdrop of an urban metropolis. The film is the fruit of an Indo-French collaboration, uniting India’s Chalk and Cheese Films with France’s Petit Chaos. Preceding this triumph, Payal’s documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing garnered the Golden Eye award at Cannes, setting the stage for her continued success.