Payal Kapadia

Payal Kapadia is nothing short of a trailblazer. Her 2024 film, All We Imagine as Light, made history this year as the first from India to win Cannes’ Grand Prix. The movie is a master class of emotions—deeply reflective, philosophical, and meditative in its approach. There is a powerful believability to how she portrays the human experience onscreen. Her authenticity and her lens on reality are part of what makes her work so rare.

What she achieved at Cannes is a milestone for Indian cinema. I’m proud to be living in an era where I could witness a talent like Payal showing the world that Indian stories resonate universally, transcending geographies and languages. Her win will inspire other filmmakers and artists to follow in her footsteps and think big. India is a young country of more than 1.4 billion people. We have 1.4 billion stories to tell, and Payal has boldly, loudly, and brilliantly told everyone to pursue their dreams. It would be an honor to work with her, and to engage with her mind.

Khurrana is an actor