Earlier this year, Payal Kapadia's film All We Imagine As Light won the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival. Now, the Mumbai-born Kapadia is gearing up for the film's India release.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, the director, whose film is based on two Malayali nurses in Mumbai, talks on the hardships of living in the city. “It’s not always easy to live in Mumbai and we saw during COVID also, so many people had to go back because it wasn’t possible to live here; it’s so expensive. For me, sometimes it can be a brutal city also.”
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When asked why she picked two Malayali nurses to be the protagonists, Kapadia said, “When I started writing the film, I got a lot of the stories from Malayali nurses as I was spending a lot of time in hospitals because of some family issues. But I also feel like when you are from the south, for example, to go to a city like Mumbai, the language barrier is a real thing. A lot of people feel that sense of alienation. I feel like language can unite you also. So, a lot of Malayalis and Tamilians stick together. A friendship between a Maharashtrian woman and a Malayali woman is not that common. Because we like to stick with each other and our language and what we speak and what we feel comfortable with.”
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Kapadia added that she is grateful for the film's recognition at the Cannes but hopes that it can properly reach the Indian audience. “Releasing a film and having a hit is another amazing thing. Both things are good for me. How many people actually know about film festivals outside? Not that many; in urban places yes but overall, in the country, people don’t know. As for Cannes, I felt really privileged at that point because I know how hard it is for filmmakers to show their film to be selected at big events. You also know that for the next film, maybe it won’t happen - filmmaking is very up and down. You have to take everything with a pinch of salt.”
She further added that filmmaking is a risky business and causes a lot of financial stress. “Whether it is mainstream or whether it is making films that are not industry-supported, it is difficult for filmmakers. And even in the big films, sometimes people are taking such huge loans and there’s so much risk. It’s a risky job. I think everybody is find it difficult at every step and it doesn’t get easier either. Like, the bigger the budget, the more pressure that there is to perform. For me, it was pressure whether I could raise money to make my film and at that point, you wonder, what the hell am I doing with my life? That’s always there.”
All We Imagine As Light will hit the big screens in India on November 22.