10/32
In Mumbai, nurse Prabha’s routine is disrupted when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate Anu tries in vain to find a place in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. Director Payal Kapadia and the cast of All We Imagine As Light come together to share the most heartwarming reactions from Cannes and more. ! The first Indian film to win the prestigious Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024. Cited in Radio Dolin: The Results of 2024. Best Films of the Year (2024). "Prabha" (Kani Kusruti) is a nurse in a busy Mumbai hospital who shares her small apartment with the usually skinny "Anu" (Divya Prabha). We quickly learn that she is married, but her husband recently left her for a job in Germany, and she hasn’t heard from her in over a year. “Anu”, on the other hand, is a different emotional problem. She is in love with a young Muslim man, "Shiazi" (Hridhu Haroon), but knows full well that neither her colleagues nor her family would ever allow such a relationship, let alone any kind of marriage – so perhaps forcing it is their only solution. Meanwhile, as these women deal with their own domestic issues, their friend "Parvaty" (Chhaya Kadam) is being evicted from her home because developers want to move in. Their threats have turned into practical action when her electricity is cut off. Faced with this, she decides it is time to return to the seaside village, where she will at least have a home of her own. Sympathetic to her plight, the two friends agree to accompany her, and while there, through conversation and flashbacks, we find out how each woman found herself in her current place, and see what possibilities lie ahead for their future. This is a subtly told story set amidst the relentless hustle and bustle of the city. These women care about others all the time, but are gradually aware that they also need to start caring more about themselves – and “Prabhas” who has caught the interest of the friendly “Dr. Manoj” (Azees Nedumangad) must decide whether to stay true to the past or look to the next. There is solid photography throughout, capturing both the bustling (and often rainy) hustle and bustle of the cities, the beauty of the water and the ancient peaceful symbolism carved into the caves, and the whole story is a poignant portrayal of the choices (or lack thereof) these women can make in a society where conformity is a given. It can be funny at times, these women are not sackcloth and ashes characters, but there is still a strong message that creates an engaging and personal exploration that is worth a few hours.