Indian art-house cinema is experiencing a renaissance, offering an alternative to Bollywood’s glossy mainstream productions. Among the most celebrated is Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light, a subtle, dreamlike portrayal of three female hospital workers in Mumbai. The film became the first Indian drama in 30 years to compete in the main section at Cannes and went on to win the Grand Prix, the festival’s second-highest honor. It was joined by Karan Kandhari’s Sister Midnight, a British-backed comedy featuring Radhika Apte as a new bride in a Mumbai slum undergoing a strange transformation. Other standout entries included Santosh by Sandhya Suri, a feminist police drama, and The Shameless, a romantic crime film that earned Anasuya Sengupta the best actress award in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section.
Indian films also made waves at Sundance and Berlin. Girls Will Be Girls, set in a Himalayan boarding school, won the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards. Shadowbox, co-directed by Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi, premiered at Berlin and follows a housemaid in Kolkata navigating life with her teenage son. These films reflect a broader trend enabled by international co-productions and funding. Kapadia notes that collaborations with European production houses have opened doors, while Sahi highlights that Indian filmmakers are increasingly adept at navigating global film markets and applying for international grants. This shift has made global storytelling techniques more accessible, bolstering the rise of Southeast Asian cinema in Western festivals.
Beyond technical and funding advances, a notable thematic shift centers on complex female protagonists. Films like Santosh delve into topics of caste, corruption, and gender, presenting morally intricate characters rarely seen in mainstream Indian cinema. All We Imagine as Light similarly questions traditional norms around financial independence and family obligations through a uniquely Indian feminist lens. Das emphasizes the importance of portraying working-class women with agency, noting how these stories disrupt dominant patriarchal and cisgender narratives.
Despite their global acclaim, some films face domestic censorship. Santosh was blocked in India due to its critical stance on caste and police misconduct, yet there remains strong public interest. With upcoming projects like Homebound, backed by Martin Scorsese, the momentum for Indian art-house cinema continues to grow, proving that audiences worldwide are eager for authentic, bold, and resonant stories.
READ MORE: