It hasn’t yet sunk in for Kani Kusruti. Two of her films — the Grand Prix Winner 'All We Imagine As Light (AWIAL)' by Payal Kapadia and Shuchi Talati’s 'Girls Will Be Girls' — were screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, catapulting her into an actor who has crossed many invisible borders. While discussions and debates are raging about the lack of opportunities for women in Malayalam cinema, Kani, along with her co-star Divya Prabha, was at Cannes for the premiere of their film about two Malayali nurses working in Mumbai.
The actor is now back from the French coastal town to the tinseltown of Kerala, and is busy shooting for a web series. Though well wishes and congratulatory messages are pouring in, amid her bright laughter, Kani says she hasn’t yet been able to return many calls or reply to texts. “I didn’t get time to sit with it and take it all in,” she smiles.
In a free-wheeling chat with , Kani opens up about her life, acting career and childhood which was always a topic of discussion among Malayalis. There hasn’t been any drastic change, but I feel happy and proud about being a part of these films. The audience at Cannes could connect well with both films.
‘Girls Will Be Girls’ was screened among a younger audience, followed by a Q&A session, which was fun and interactive. Yes, of course. Typically, at any event related to the film, it’s actors who receive the most attention and they tend to overshadow the work done by those behind the.