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New Delhi, One of the most photographed moments on this year’s Cannes red carpet was the dance performed by the “All We Imagine As Light” team at the premiere. Actress Chaaya Kadam says it was a sign that the film, the first by an Indian director in 30 years to be selected for competition at the festival, would win big.
And it did. Payal Kapadia’s meditative film about two nurses from Mumbai won the Grand Prix, the second-highest honour at Cannes after the top prize, the Palme d’Or.
“I am so happy that I have no words for it,” Kadam told PTI over phone from Cannes.
This moment on the red carpet is etched in her memory and in the history of Indian cinema forever. Kadam, who plays one of the three lead characters in the film along with Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha, doesn’t remember who started dancing first.
“I’m not sure at this point, but it was probably me,” he said.
“Someone called from Mumbai and jokingly said, ‘You were dancing as if you were dancing in your own courtyard.’ I said, ‘Why not?’ To be a part of the main competition after 30 years is a big achievement, leave alone the award that we won. Why follow protocol? We show our happiness like this, by jumping and dancing,” Kadam said.
According to the actress, who began her career in theatre, her red carpet dance was a celebratory moment, with people around her also joining in to celebrate her moment of joy.
She said, “When we were standing for the photo ops, the photographers also requested us to keep dancing. There was a lot of joy all around.” She further added that when she got out of her car for the premiere, she heard the Marathi song “Gulabi Sari” playing.
“The signs were clear that the film would win big at the festival,” he said.
The Indo-French co-production was touted as a leading film after it received rave reviews in the international press following its grand release.
The story of the Malayalam-Hindi feature revolves around Prabha, a Mumbai nurse whose life is turned upside down when she inherits a rice cooker from her estranged husband. Anu, her roommate and colleague, is struggling to find a secluded place in the city to live with her boyfriend. Prabha’s best friend Parvathy, a widow, is being thrown out of her home by property developers.
Kadam, who has slowly become a recognised name and face with her roles in films like “Missing Ladies” and “Madgaon Express”, said working in “All We Imagine…” made her realise the importance of breaking rules.
He said, “I think we should break the rules and make our own rules. That’s what this film has taught me and what a great film it is! I first saw it at the Cannes premiere. It is the story of our land, our soil. We should make more such stories. I don’t know why we don’t. We may not have much, but whatever we have is of great value.”
He said that this Grand Prix victory is one that will be recorded in history.
Kapadia also became the first Indian female filmmaker to win the award at Cannes, known for discovering emerging talent from across the world and giving them wide exposure.
When the film was declared the winner at the festival’s awards ceremony on Saturday, FTII graduate Kapadia came on stage with the three lead actresses and also thanked them in her acceptance speech, which went viral on social media today.
“Payal is amazing. All these pictures that are coming out, she has made this possible by taking us along. I remember when the award was announced, we were waiting for Payal to come on stage, but she took us along with her.
“She is like that. She kept saying that this film is about all of us. That is what she has shown in the film as well, the friendship between three women of different ages,” Kadam said.
In an Instagram post, Kadam wrote that the saree she wore for her first performance at Cannes was a tribute to her late mother.
The nose ring she wore at most events also belonged to her mother.
“This is her wedding ‘nath’. My mother passed away in August last year and one of my dreams that remained unfulfilled was that I would never be able to take her on a trip in an airplane.
“I started earning quite late, everything got delayed. I was hopeful that I would be able to do it, but they left me. So, when I was there, although I had bought a different outfit, I felt I should wear my mother’s sari because she would have worn that sari in Cannes if she were alive.”
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