Payal Kapadia reacts to Anurag Kashyap’s comments on lack of support for independent films in India: ‘Need structural changes in the industry’

Express View | Payal Kapadia’s Cannes win shows India’s filmmakers are willing to risk it all

“To be honest, I don’t know what can bring about change. We need structural changes in the industry, opportunities for independent filmmakers, grants that they can apply for or some kind of support system,” Payal told News18. “The bigger question is, how do you distribute a film like that? That’s why I’m very happy that Spirit Media is distributing my film. It’s a great thing for me that an independent film like All We Imagine As Light will get distributed and be shown in so many cities.”

When asked if her victory might lead to change, Payal told News18, “It’s still too early to say anything because independent filmmaking takes a lot of time. You would want to raise funds to tell the kind of stories you want and have a certain kind of creative freedom and that involves a lot of steps. Having said that, I’m okay with the time this entire process takes. Also, it would also be great if those in mainstream also take some time out to support independent films. At the end of the day, we co-exist in the same industry.”

Anand Ekarshi, the director of the National Award-winning film Aattam, had also once shared that while finding a producer is less challenging these days, securing a distributor remains the real hurdle. “For a smaller film, the biggest challenge is to find a distributor. You will get a producer and actors and eventually complete your film. However, getting it into theatres is the toughest part. We experienced this with Aattam. While it was doing well, a big film arrived and Aattam’s screenings dropped from seven shows a day to one,” he said during one of panel discussions organised by The Indian Express.

Anurag told PTI during an interview soon after Cannes 2024, “I get very upset when it’s said ‘India@Cannes’. This is a boost… a shot in the arm for a lot of independent filmmakers but their victory is their own. India didn’t have any moment at Cannes, not a single of those films are Indian. We need to address it the way it should be addressed. India has stopped supporting such cinema, the kind of cinema that was at Cannes.”

The Cannes film festival this time also saw actor Anasuya Sengupta being awarded Best Actress in the Un Certain Regard strand for The Shameless and FTII student Chidananda S Naik bagging the Best Short Film Award in the La Cinef section for Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know.

 

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“India just likes to take credit for a lot of things, they do not support these films, and they don’t even support these films to have a release in cinema. Stop taking credit for it. Let’s stop this fake celebration… Even if the film is released, no one will go to watch it in the theatre,” Kashyap said.