All We Imagine As Light trailer: Payal Kapadia’s film explores the duality of love and its inherent pain

The trailer of Payal Kapadia’s debut feature film All We Imagine As Light was recently unveiled by the makers, building anticipation for its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival later this month. The film narrates the story of two women sharing the same living space but leading vastly different lives. While the older woman has relinquished hope in love following estrangement from her husband, the younger woman has just embarked on a journey of newfound love after discovering freedom in a new city.

The trailer features nurse Prabha (portrayed by Kani Kusruti), whose life is disrupted when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband residing in Germany, with whom she has had no contact for over a year since he left her in India. Simultaneously, her younger roommate, Anu, finds herself entangled in a romance, and the couple navigates the challenges of finding privacy in the bustling, congested city of Mumbai.

Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light is among the 19 films that will be screened as part of the competition section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It’s the first Indian film to compete for the prestigious Palme d’Or award at Cannes in nearly three decades. The last Indian movie to achieve this distinction was Shaji N Karun’s Swaham in 1994.

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An Indo-French collaboration, All We Imagine As Light also stars Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, and Hridhu Haroon in significant roles. This marks Kapadia’s debut in feature filmmaking. Her documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing was the winner of Golden Eye for best documentary during the 2021 edition of Cannes Film Festival.

Also read | From Pather Panchali and Lagaan to All We Imagine as Light: India stars at Cannes

Among the Indian films selected for Cannes’ competition section over the years are titles such as Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar (1946), V Shantaram’s Amar Bhoopali (1952), Raj Kapoor’s Awaara (1953), Satyajit Ray’s Parash Pathar (1958), MS Sathyu’s Garm Hava (1974), and Mrinal Sen’s Kharij (1983). Neecha Nagar stands out as the sole Indian film to have been honored with the Palme d’Or award.

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