Indian filmmaker Kanu Behl is set to premiere his new Hindi film, Agra, at the Cannes Film Festival 2023 in the prestigious Directors’ Fortnight section. This will be Behl’s second film to debut at Cannes after his first film, Titli, premiered in the 2014 Cannes Un Certain Regard section. Agra is the only Indian feature film selected for this year’s lineup, which runs from May 16, 2023 to May 27, 2023.
Directors’ Fortnight is a non-competitive selection that showcases independent films from around the world, and is open to all festival goers. Agra features an ensemble cast that includes Rahul Roy, who starred in the hit Bollywood film Aashiqui, making his comeback in this film, as well as Priyanka Bose from the Oscar-nominated film Lion.
The film also introduces a new actor, Mohit Agarwal, in a lead role, with Ruhani Sharma, Vibha Chibber, Sonal Jha, and Aanchal Goswami in pivotal roles. The film’s plot, written by Behl and Atika Chohan, explores sexual dynamics within a family, and the deep dystopian fractures created in modern India fast shrinking into pigeon-holed spaces.
Agra was developed at the ‘PJLF Three Rivers residency program’ in Italy, with backing from the prestigious ‘Cinema du Monde’ film fund. The film was also part of the FBR section of the Viewing Room at NFDC’s Film Bazaar in 2022.
Behl describes Agra as a deeply personal and challenging exploration into the inner workings of desire and male sexual repression, with the hope that the film sparks a conversation around sexuality and the “homes” people choose to live in.
The film tells the story of Guru, a sexually repressed young man who lives with his mother in a small house in Agra. His father lives on the upper floor with his mistress, leaving Guru with only the terrace as a living space. Guru insists that he loves Mala, an imaginary girl, and plans to marry her and live with her on the terrace, just like his father.
Agra follows Guru’s sexual coming-of-age journey as he goes from courting an imaginary girl to having cybersex with an unknown woman online to finally bedding a 40-year-old woman and falling in love with her.
In addition to Agra, Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy will also be screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
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