New Delhi | One brought his film to the Cannes Film Festival after a decade, the other is serving as a jury member. Directors Neeraj Ghaywan and Payal Kapadia had a memorable meet-up at the 78th edition of the eminent gala.
Ghaywan's second Hindi feature film "Homebound" received a nine-minute standing ovation at Cannes when it was screened in the Un Certain Regard segment on Wednesday. The same day, he clicked a picture with last year's Cannes Grand Prix winner Kapadia, whom he called "India's biggest star" at the European festival.
"Hanging out with the biggest Indian star at @festivaldecannes - @payalkapadiafilm," Ghaywan captioned his photo with Kapadia on Instagram.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, a frequent presence from India at Cannes, commented on his frequent collaborator's post.
"Do chamakte huye sitaare (two shining stars)" Kashyap wrote.
Later in the day, Kapadia also shared a photo with Ghaywan on her Instagram Story.
"My goofy smile is just a reflection of what a fan I am @neeraj.ghaywan," she wrote.
In 2024, Kapadia charted history by becoming the first Indian filmmaker to win Grand Prix, the second highest award at the Cannes Film Festival, for her debut feature film "All We Imagine As Light".
The Malayalam-Hindi movie had already made headlines after it became the first Indian film in 30 years and first ever by an Indian female director to be showcased in the main competition.
This year, Kapadia is part of the nine-member Cannes jury, headed by French cinema star Juliette Binoche. The panel will award the festival's top prize, the Palme d'or, to one of the 21 films in Competition.
Ghaywan was previously in Cannes for the premiere of his first full-length film "Masaan" back in 2015. The social drama also premiered in the Un Certain Regard section where it won the FIPRESCI Prize and Un Certain Regard Special Prize.
The 2025 Cannes Film Festival will run through Saturday.
