'It is for the first time that a film of mine will be released in theatres and Indian audiences will finally be able to buy tickets and experience it on a big screen, where cinema truly comes to life.'
There's no slowing down for Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light.
From becoming the first Indian film in 30 years to compete in the main competition of 2024 Cannes Film Festival to receiving an eight minute standing ovation at the festival and then winning the Grand Prix award, which was presented by Hollywood royalty Viola Davis, it's been a journey of many pinch-me moments for Director Payal Kapadia and her incredible team.
After making waves internationally, the film is now set for homecoming as it releases in cinemas on November 22 across India. Payal couldn't have been happier, and her biggest joy is that "people will be buying a ticket" to watch her film.
"I am incredibly excited for the next phase. It is for the first time that a film of mine will be released in theatres and Indian audiences will finally be able to buy tickets and experience it on a big screen, where cinema truly comes to life," a visibly excited Payal told a media conference on Thursday, October 17, 2024.
Southern star Rana Daggubati, whose banner Spirit Media, will present the film in India joined Payal at the interaction.
WATCH: Rana Daggubati shares what he loved about All We Imagine As Light.
Speaking about his association with Payal's film, Rana said it will mark the beginning of a "beautiful partnership" between mainstream and independent cinema, and an eventual new phase for the Indian film industry.
"Even after 20 years in the industry, I fail to understand what is indie and what is mainstream. We have always thought that cinema which has song and dance is mainstream cinema and everything that has a unique story and emotions became independent because it was always hard to release a film without big stars and big names attached to it. Now, I think India has gone to that phase," Rana said.
It was the success of the Baahubali films, which he starred in as the main villain, that film-makers started thinking of projects with a pan-Indian appeal, Rana added.
"In India, once we know something works, we scale it up. It is ultimately about knowing your audience and finding them," the actor explained.
WATCH: Rana Daggubati speaks about his idea of pan India cinema
Payal took the opportunity to address various issues that plague independent film-making voices in the country and emphasised on having a well-realised eco-system for alternative cinema in India.
"As indie film-makers, the challenge is at every step," the film-maker said. "Even if you get funding from India completely, the next step is distribution, where does it get shown? So indie film-makers are struggling at every step of the way."
She cited the examples of Mahesh Narayanan's 2022 film Ariyippu and Rima Das's upcoming film Village Rockstars 2, and said indie films also deserve a nationwide theatrical release.
"Until a few years ago, we used to get grants. There was also distribution. We need to have aaccess to funding or industries could meet each other because to make independent films, it doesn't cost that much," Payal remarked.
"If there's a way we can communicate with each other and no matter how small or big a film is, it can get financed, wouldn't that be nice? The more films there are, the more diversity there is. It makes for a thriving film industry," Payal added, rather hopefully.
The Indo-French co-production, which opened to glowing reviews from international critics following its gala premiere at Cannes on May 23, features impressive actors Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam. The multi-lingual drama revolves around three nurses as they navigate their lives in bustling Mumbai.
WATCH: Payal Kapadia on what makes Mumbai such an interesting subject for her, a city where she was born and yet remained distant from.
Given its tremendous festival run and international acclaim, Payal's film was seen as a strong bet as India's entry at Oscars 2025 in the Best International Feature Film category.
The film, however, lost out to Kiran Rao's social drama Laapataa Ladies.
When a mediaperson asked if the snub for All We Imagine As Light hurt her, Payal responded with a smile, "Laapataa Ladies is a great film. It's a wonderful film. All of us saw it and loved it. I loved Kiran Rao's previous film as well. I am just happy that it's selected and it's the film that's going to be there."
When quizzed if she would try at taking All We Imagine As Light to the Oscars independently, Payal said, "It's going to release in America on November 15. The distribution will decide that once it releases what's the response. We will see."
