Following his success at Cannes 2024 with In Retreat, producer Thanikachalam SA is backing debut feature director Payal Sethi’s Kurinji (The Disappearing Flower) at India’s Film Bazaar co-production market.
Sethi’s previous works include the award-winning short films “Leeches” (2016), which won the International Grand Prix at the Brussels Short Film Festival, and “Grant St. Shaving Co.” (2010). She studied at Vassar College and Tisch School of the Arts, and has worked with Mira Nair in films including “Monsoon Wedding” and “The Namesake.”
The film follows Lali, a housewife from Kerala, whose husband, a migrant worker in the Gulf region, suddenly stops calling back home after years of separation. When a moneylender shows up demanding repayment of an unknown debt, she begins searching for answers with the help of an unexpected party – her lover, who happens to be her brother-in-law.
“It feels like a very interesting film, about a serious subject, with a story that has yet to be told,” says Thanikachalam. diverse. After its huge success at Cannes, the producer noted that the festival’s recognition has opened new doors. “After Cannes, more ambitious films started coming my way.”
“I first started thinking about this story when I came across the term ‘Gulf wife’ in a news article,” Sethi says. “Researching a Human Rights Watch report on Gulf migration in India, I learned that these wives were locked in a unique type of long-distance relationship with their husbands.”
The project arose from Sethi’s observation of a critical gap in media coverage. “The lack of attention to Gulf wives struck me as most surprising,” she says. “Almost no media attention is given to these women who have been so affected by the migration process.”
The film has already received international attention, having participated in Cine Qua Non Lab, Produire au Sud (Kolkata), and the Berlinale Script Station. Sethi will be awarded a Companion Fellowship from Berlinale Talents in 2022.
The production team is targeting filming in the winter of 2025-2026, subject to co-production partnerships. “Film Bazaar is an important co-production market for us, as 90% of the film is shot in India,” points out Thanikachalam. “We hope to meet potential Indian and international production partners for the film.”
The Film Bazaar (November 20-24) is a component of the Project Bazaar at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI, November 20-28) in Goa.