Congrats Accused No. 25!
Amid the outpouring of congratulatory messages for Payal Kapadia, who won the second highest honour at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, a message from her alma mater, FTII, lauding her has garnered much attention. At the gala, which concluded on Saturday, Kapadia charted history by becoming the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix award for All We Imagine As Light.
On Sunday, the Film and Television Institute of India in a post on X said it was a moment of pride for the FTII and congratulated Kapadia for the award. “It is a moment of pride for FTII as its alumni created history at Cannes. As we witness a phenomenal year for Indian Cinema at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, FTII cherishes the glorious achievements of its alumni at this mega international stage of cinema,” officials of the institute said in a post on X. “We congratulate Payal Kapadia for winning the Grand Prix Award, Santosh Sivan for receiving the Pierre Angnieux Tribute Award, Maisam Ali for his debut at ACID and Chidanand S Naik for winning La Cinef. Their achievements are taking Indian Cinema to greater heights,” the post added.
FTII had earlier initiated disciplinary action against Payal for protesting over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the Pune-based institute back in 2015. The students argued that he didn’t have the credibility, owing to his work in B-grade movies, to head a premier institution like FTII. An FIR was filed against Payal and 34 other students for holding FTII director Prashant Pathrabe captive in his office in 2015.
Cannes to court
Oscar-winning Indian sound designer Resul Pookutty in a post on social media said the mainstream Indian film industry has nothing to do with this glory and they ‘only looked at us as outcasts’.
He said, “Payal (Accused No.25) comes back from Cannes and next month, will have to go for her court case hearing that FTII lodged against her for striking against the appointment of Mr Chouhan as the Chairman! Interesting isn’t it?”
Double standard
Actor Ali Fazal has also slammed FTII for their double standards on congratulating filmmaker Payal Kapadia, for her historic win at Cannes. Ali registered a strong disagreement as he called out the institute. He wrote, “Uhhh… please don’t. Just don’t.”
Achievement!
Priyanka Chopra is celebrating the monumental achievements of Indian cinema at Cannes 2024. Chopra took to her Instagram Stories to extend heartfelt congratulations to Anasuya Sengupta, Chidananda S Naik, and the team behind All We Imagine As Light. She highlighted the significance of this victory for Indian cinema, “It’s a moment for Indian cinema at @festivaldecannes. Big shout and congratulations to you all.”
Women power
Bollywood actress Kiara Advani wrote, “From witnessing two historic wins for women from India to meeting amazing women from around the world, discussing our passion and love for cinema and our role as women in the growing landscape of film; all of it has given me so much joy.” — Agencies
