All We Imagine As Light’s Chhaya Kadam Recalls Getting Teased For Film’s Team Dancing On Cannes Red Carpet

Actor Chhaya Kadam, who starred in All We Imagine As Light, has spoken about the team dancing on the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

Speaking with news agency PTI, Chhaya revealed how she reacted when someone from Mumbai teased her about their dance. The film’s director, Payal Kapadia, along with Chhaya, Kani Kusruti, and Divya Prabha, grooved on the red carpet.

Chhaya reacts to being teased for dancing at Cannes red carpet

Chhaya talks about who started dancing first, “I’m not sure at this point, but it was probably me. Someone from Mumbai called and joked, ‘You were dancing as if you were in your own courtyard’. I was like, ‘Kyun nahin (Why not)?’ Just to be part of the main competition after 30 years is a huge achievement, not to count the award that we won. Why follow protocol? Hum apni khushi aise hi dikhaate hain, kood kood kar (That’s how we express our joy, by breaking into a dance).”

Chhaya heard Gulabi Saree playing in Cannes

According to the actor, their Cannes Film Festival red carpet dance was a celebratory moment with people around them joining in to celebrate their moment of happiness. “When we stood still for photographs, even the photographers started requesting us to keep dancing. There was just so much happiness around. The sign that the film would win big at the festival was apparent.” She added that she heard the Marathi song Gulabi Saree playing when she stepped out of her car for the premiere of the film.

About All We Imagine As Light win at Cannes

All We Imagine As Light is the first in 30 years by an Indian director to win the Grand Prix, the second highest honour at Cannes after the top prize, Palme d’Or. Helmed by Payal Kapadia, the film features Chhaya alongside Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha. The film, an India-French co-production, was pegged a frontrunner after it received glowing reviews in international press post its gala screening.

More about the film

The Malayalam-Hindi feature revolves around Prabha, a Mumbai nurse whose life is thrown in disarray when she receives a rice cooker from her estranged husband. Anu, her roommate and colleague, is struggling to find a private spot in the bustling city to be with her boyfriend. Prabha’s best friend, Parvati (Chhaya), a widow, is being forced out of her home by property developers.