Payal Kapadia’s Oscar Contender ‘All We Imagine as Light’ Drives Young Audiences to Theaters Across India
Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light” has struck a chord with young Indian audiences, exploring themes of urban displacement and chosen family that resonate deeply with a generation navigating life in metropolitan cities.
“All We Imagine as Light” explores contemporary working-class Mumbai through the lives of three women. The story centers on two roommates working at a city hospital – head nurse Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and recent hire Anu (Divya Prabha) – alongside their co-worker, cook Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam). The narrative follows their interconnected lives as Prabha, whose husband from an arranged marriage lives in Germany, navigates attention from a hospital doctor; Anu conducts a secret romance with a Muslim man against her strict Hindu family’s wishes; and Parvaty faces sudden eviction from her home.
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“It is a story about finding your feet in a big city, the challenges of navigating loneliness, and the beauty of sisterhood and friendship,” distributor Spirit Media told Variety, explaining the film’s particular appeal to younger viewers. “These experiences in many ways echo the journey of many young people trying to make sense of life in today’s fast-paced world.”
Its multi-language format with subtitles has proven successful across different regions, with Spirit Media noting that “the word of mouth of the film really strengthened week on week and travelled widely through social media.”
The film’s momentum in India accelerated following its Golden Globe nominations for Best Director and Best Film Non-English Language, enabling Spirit Media to expand its theatrical footprint to second-tier cities across the country.
“The Golden Globe nominations were really helpful in getting word out about the movie again,” Kapadia said. “A lot of Indian press covered the story. This put the movie back on people’s radar. We could do a second round of releases because we saw on Twitter that there was a new demand coming from different cities like Bhubaneswar, Kanpur, Chandigarh, and more.”
Kapadia credits Spirit Media for taking a chance on independent cinema. “There are distributors who are willing to do other movies that are not like the big studio films,” she said. “When there is this crossover, if people start recognizing that it’s good for everybody, it would be really great for Indian independent movies.”
The re-release follows an impressive international awards run that began with the Grand Prix at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The film has since been named the #1 Film of the Year by The New York Times, Associated Press, Sight & Sound magazine, and Film Comment critics poll, while collecting Best International Feature honors from the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Chicago Film Critics Association, and San Diego Film Critics Society.
As Oscar voting approaches, distribution company Janus Films and Sideshow are managing the awards campaign alongside Cinetic Marketing & PR and Divergent PR. “They really know what they’re doing,” Kapadia said of their efforts to screen the film for Academy voters.
Looking ahead, Kapadia revealed plans for two additional features set in Mumbai, potentially forming a trilogy. “I’m thinking about doing two more films in Bombay,” she said, though noting the concept is still in early stages. “But these things keep changing month to month.”
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