Cannes, France

Scripting history at Cannes 2024, Payal Kapadia lifted the Grand Prix award on Saturday night at the prestigious film festival for her film All We Imagine As Light. She also became the first Indian filmmaker to achieve this feat. The film stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam and Hridhu Haroon in lead roles, who were all present at the global platform to celebrate their victory.

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Who is Kani Kusruti?

Kani Kusruti, who hails from Kerala, first gained recognition in 2009 with the film Kerala Cafe. She has also won the Best Actress Award at the Moscow International Film Festival for her performance as Khadeeja in the film Biriyaani.

In 2015, Kani became a household name as she joined the soap opera Eswaran Sakshiyayi, directed by K. K. Rajeev. She played the part of Advocate Tresa, a lawyer who joins in on the investigation for her brother's murder.

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Before All We Imagine as Light, the actress played pivotal roles in Kirkkan, Vazhakku, Nishiddho, Vichithram, Pada and Tryst with Destiny. Kani also played the role of DFO Dina in the 2024 Malayalam Amazon Prime series Poacher. In Kapadia's film, she plays the role of Prabha.

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Who is Divya Prabha?

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Divya Prabha, who predominantly appears in Malayalam films, played the role of Anu in All We Imagine as Light. She hails from Kerala and holds an MBA degree from Annamalai University. She made her screen debut with the 2013 film Lokpal. She later played several character roles in films like Mumbai Police, Cold Storage, SIM, Kayal, Bhaiyya Bhaiyya, Pianist and Vettah. She gained wider attention for her roles in the films Take Off and Thamaasha.

In 2022, she played the lead role in Ariyippu, which was written and directed by Mahesh Narayanan.

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All We Imagine as Light is about two Malayali nurses who are living in Mumbai and troubled by their relationships. The two embark on a road trip to a beach town where "the mystical forest becomes a space for their dreams to manifest."