ustaad movie review times of india

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Ustaad Movie Review: A Mounted Ride With A Unique Idea

Making a grand entry on the silver screens, the movie Ustaad came under the spotlight on August 12, 2023. 

Ustaad – The Story Beyond the Screen

At the heart of this movie is Surya, an aimless youngster portrayed impressively by Sri Simha Koduri. His life takes a sharp turn when he purchases a bike, a mechanical wonder named Ustaad. 

This purchase awakens in him the ambition of becoming a pilot. But does he succeed in achieving this dream? Adding a love thread, Surya also falls for Meghana, played by Kavya Kalyanram. What are the trials they face? How do Surya and Meghana manage these obstacles? This forms the backbone of Ustaad’s storyline.

What Worked About Ustaad?

Ustaad offers the audience a fresh viewpoint of Sri Simha as an actor. His performance exhibits a wide spectrum of emotions, making the audience connect with his character. The relationship Surya forms with his bike, personifying it as “Ustaad,” serves as an interesting premise.

His childhood memories and the bike acting as a propeller towards his dreams is an aspect cleverly woven into the plot.

Despite the slow-paced start, the first half bears some engaging moments. Newcomer Ravi Siva Teja’s portrayal as the protagonist’s friend and his comedic timing offers light-hearted entertainment.

What Could Have Been Better?

The film’s pacing, particularly in the second half, hampers its dynamics. The romantic escapades between Surya and Meghana initially add some charm but quickly become disappointingly dragged and monotonous.

Ustaad fails to integrate an absorbing second half and frequently loses track with unnecessary scenes. The editing could have been sharp and concise, trimming down repetitive sequences. 

The story stagnates, circling around monotonous details that test viewers’ patience.

While Ustaad has a promising plot and commendable performances, it unfortunately stumbles with its screenplay and pace. The film has its moments but falls short in delivering a captivating storytelling experience. Sri Simha Koduri’s performance is applause-worthy, yet the narrative failures overshadow his efforts.

Ustaad pulls off a coming-of-age drama infused with a sprinkle of romance and comedy. However, the stretched romantic angle and snail-paced narrative make it a lukewarm watch. Will the film’s narrative shortcomings hinder your movie-watching experience? It’s up to you to decide.

Thnx for share.. Very best post. Ty.

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Surya, a young aimless man navigates through his life, learning lessons from his 'Ustaad' as he comes of age and becomes a pilot. Surya, a young aimless man navigates through his life, learning lessons from his 'Ustaad' as he comes of age and becomes a pilot. Surya, a young aimless man navigates through his life, learning lessons from his 'Ustaad' as he comes of age and becomes a pilot.

• Gautham Vasudev Menon
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• Aug 16, 2023
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• August 12, 2023 (India)
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• Runtime 2 hours 36 minutes

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Home » Review » Ustaad review: This ambitious premise doesn’t have the wings to fly high »

Ustaad review: This ambitious premise doesn’t have the wings to fly high

Despite arresting visual metaphors and impressive performances, most of the film’s good ideas are lost in translation

• Srivathsan Nadadhur

Last Updated: 10.47 AM, Aug 12, 2023

Surya is a youngster living in a suburb outside Hyderabad, who loses his father early, and is raised by his mom. He experiences the first brush of freedom through a second hand bike - which his mechanic names Ustaad - a constant companion in his life. He falls in love with Meghana, a fiesty girl with big dreams. How far will he go to overcome his fears and succeed in love and his career?

Ustaad is a love story between Surya and his bike - the girl Meghana is just another passenger in his journey. When Surya goes to a garage to buy a second hand bike, there’s magic in his eyes, the cover comes off due to the wind, there’s rain and it’s love at first sight. The bike calms him, is a mute witness through his highs and lows. It’s literally an avenue that paves the way to his dreams.

The director Phanideep exhibits a taste for visual storytelling with his plot points - the film unfolds through a flashback while Surya begins his duties as a pilot. Through his journey on a flight, we go back in time to see his rags-to-riches story. The protagonist’s character is layered and equally flawed - he is largely directionless, has the fear of heights, doesn’t have a control on his emotions.

Also read: Kavya Kalyanram: I’m happy Ustaad is on a viewer’s watchlist alongside Bholaa Shankar, Jailer this week | Exclusive  

Through his love life with Meghana, Surya realises the importance of holding onto things, fighting for those who mean much to him. Ustaad is a film documenting his fight for love and his dreams and the various obstacles that come his way. While it is like poetry in motion till it establishes the importance of the bike in Surya’s life, it’s the romance chapter where it loses track.

A bulk of the director’s ideas with Surya-Meghana’s track appear quirky on paper but lack spunk in execution. He meets Meghana on a road in the middle of a funeral procession, communicates with her secretly through letters, over landline calls, SMSs (the film is set in mid 2000s) and drives all the way from Hyderabad to Araku to woo his love. The relationship appears more cinematic than earnest.

While the film wants to showcase the youngster’s psychological evolution through love, it doesn’t translate convincingly enough on the screen. However, there’s a superb sequence capturing Surya’s motivation to chase his dreams. He forgets about acrophobia as he spots a flight standing atop a rock, treats it like a kite, imagines a manja in his hand, hops onto his bike and playfully chases the flight on the road - he finds bliss, loses track of time and makes up his mind.

Such mini-sparkles where you sense the storyteller’s determination to capture the essence of the moment are far few and between. Beyond a point, the director is obsessed about the bike - he tries to reemphasise its significance through various characters. The romance angle - except for the well-filmed confrontation scene between Meghana’s father and Surya - lacks meat.

In a story about a character’s ambition and self-transformation, you don’t get to witness Surya’s evolution enough. The film needed better sequences to portray his struggles at the aviation academy - you see his notorious side but you don’t get a sense of how he overcomes his limitations (the paragliding sequence is poorly executed). Budgetary issues may have been a reason though the writing too needed more imagination.

Ustaad gives decent screenspace to the people in and around Surya’s life - his friend, girlfriend, mother and the mechanic, but the characterisation is vague. You want to know more about Meghana’s interests to pursue her MBA, how Surya’s mother goes about her profession and struggles to raise her son, what his friend does beyond boozing around and accompanying him wherever he goes.

The connection between Surya’s bike and the magical cupboard in The Chronicles of Narnia during his conversation with his superior is intriguing. Ustaad is ultimately an imaginative script with many promising ideas but it needed some fine-tuning for better results. On the technical front, what the team manages to achieve within its limitations is quite impressive.

The cinematographer Pavan’s finesse reflects in the wide expanses, panoramic shots and his visual detailing to showcase Surya’s love for flying. Akeeva’s music has a certain recall value, though the song placement leaves a lot to be desired. With the background score, he gives a rustic touch to the proceedings while more sophistication could’ve enhanced the impact better. The narrative structure is apt, generates intrigue, but the film overstays its welcome by at least 30 minutes.

Sri Simha Koduri’s unconventional script choices may/may not have yielded the right results to date, but they’re definitely helping him progress as a performer with each outing. Kavya Kalyanram is impressive though it’s time that writers looked beyond her spunky persona and give her different roles. Anu Hasan is aptly cast as the strong, friendly single parent.

Ravi Sivateja displays a good knack for comedy while Ravindra Vijay’s potential is underutilised in the brief role.Venkatesh Maha, Gautham Menon’s special appearances make a considerable impact in the story.

Ustaad is a coming-of-age story depicting the transition of a directionless teenager to a pilot where a bike is a metaphor to portray his journey. The film struggles to keep you invested in the protagonist’s journey despite the impressive performances, visual detailing and technical finesse.

Also read: Sri Simha Koduri: A bike brings stability to my life in Ustaad | Exclusive  

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Ustaad (2023)

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Isabella Endrinal

This is motorbike propaganda.

What it's about

With whole franchises dedicated to cars and motorcycles, cinema has often regarded these individually-piloted machines as intrinsically linked with masculinity. Ustaad is the latest Telugu love letter to motorcycles and planes, as these have shaped protagonist Surya Sivakumar’s life. In debut writer-director Phanideep’s hands, Surya’s journey to becoming a commercial airline pilot is a long one, as Ustaad details Surya’s first motorbike, first romantic relationship, and the way he overcame his fear of heights. It’s a fun drive, and there’s plenty of moments where Phanideep’s style feels free and unrestrained. However, it’s a drive that takes too long, with predictable beats that have been seen before.

What stands out

Ustaad feels too long because it tackles two stories. The first half is dedicated exclusively to Surya and his bike, while the second is his journey to becoming a pilot. However, what makes this film watchable is how in awe Phanideep seems to feel about motorcycles in general. The very first scene of Surya’s motorcycle feels like Surya has met the love of his life, with wind fans blowing dust off metal, and the rain slowly falling onto the chrome, as he pulls away the tarp covering the bike. The film easily excuses it as a random rainstorm, but the treatment feels very familiar. In another life, Phanideep must have been a bike commercial director, because the way these vehicles are portrayed makes me want to buy one.

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In a film that gently meanders along touching upon facets of love between a man and a woman, a father and a son, and a grandfather and grandson, the elements are infused with precision

Ustad Hotel Movie Review

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ananya 79 148 days ago

The article's writer has grossly simplified the entire movie lol. It's a complex and heart warming movie. There's existentialism, there's bildungsroman, and many other things. Lovely movie accompanied by an equally lovely soundtrack

omar sahil 1235 days ago

Deep soni 1 1429 days ago, deep soni 1429 days ago.

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• This film marks the first collaboration of uncle-nephew duo Anil Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor. Arjun is the son of Anil’s brother Boney Kapoor. Share
• This film marks the first collaboration of uncle-nephew duo Anil Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor. Arjun is the son of Anil’s brother Boney Kapoor.
• This is the second time Arjun Kapoor is playing a double role, the first being Aurangzeb (2013).
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  What’s it about?

Surya (Sri Simha Koduri), a rookie pilot, spends his first day on the job alongside his senior pilot (Gowtham Menon). While it is Simha’s first day on the job, it is his senior’s last. When Surya makes an error, the senior pilot chastises him for being impulsive.

Then Surya tells his story of how his impulsiveness got him thus far.

Surya is raised by his single mother (Anu Haasan) after the death of his father in a small town near Hyderabad. He buys an old bike and christens it Ustaad. The bike causes numerous changes in his life, including the arrival of Meghana (Kavya Kalyan Ram). However, his short temper and uncompromising attitude cause problems in his love life.

The rest of the story is about how he overcame all obstacles and became a pilot.

  Analysis

On paper, the idea of a bike changing a man’s life and propelling him to become a pilot is interesting. “Ustaad” has this line. When the protagonist’s bike breaks down, something nice happens to him, such as the opportunity to meet his girlfriend for the first time, witnessing a runway outside of a hillock and being inspired to become a pilot, and so on. On the other hand, he is stubborn and impulsive. The director juggles these aspects to tell the “Ustaad” plot.

However, the director Phanideep (likely a first-timer) has struggled to narrate it in an engaging manner. The entire first half has us fidgeting in our seats.

I’ve noticed that most current young directors (mainly newcomers/upcoming directors) lack the capacity to evaluate whether content is appropriate for a feature film or short film. Furthermore, the majority of them are creating stories based on their personal experiences (which is a good thing. Actually, the screenwriting gurus always encourage writers to write about the world they know), but they lack the abilities to adapt those highly personal experiences into a captivating narrative. Many scenes in “Ustaad” made me feel the same way. Some of the occurrences in the film may have had a deep resonance for the director, but they make for an uninteresting viewing experience for us.

For example, the romantic scenes between Sri Simha and Kavya Kalyan Ram are interesting at first, but the later portions, as well as Kavya’s and Sri Simha’s unexpected actions, do not make sense to us. Another thread of a mechanic has the same problem. The mechanic’s behavior becomes increasingly unrealistic and stagey.

Among the nicest scenes for me were hero’s mother (a single parent) and hero speaking on the roof of their house. It’s a beautiful moment when the son realizes her mother’s resilience.

Sri Simha Koduri passes the muster as an impetuous youngster. Anu Haasan also does a good job as a mother. Kavya Kalyanram, best known for her role in Balagam, has a commanding screen presence. Ravi Siva Teja brings some laughs.

The technical departments performed just okay.

Bottom line: “Ustaad” is a coming-of-age story with a few pleasant moments but a monotonous viewing experience on the whole. The amateurishness with which the narration is handled can be seen throughout.

Rating: 2.25/5

By Jalapathy Gudelli

Film: Ustaad Cast:  Sri Simha Koduri, Kavya Kalyanram, Ravi Siva Teja, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Anu Hasan, Ravindra Vijay, Venkatesh Maha, and others Music:  Akeeva B Cinematography:  Pavan Kumar Pappula Editor:  Carthic Cuts Producers:  Rajani Korrapati, Rakesh Reddy Gaddam, Himank Reddy Duvvuru Writer and directed by:  Phanideep Release Date: Aug 12, 2023

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• ENGLISH HINDI MALAYALAM TAMIL TELUGU KANNADA BENGALI  

Ustaad Telugu Movie

Ustaad is a 2023 Indian movie directed by Phanideep starring Sri Simha Koduri, Kavya Kalyanram, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Anu Hasan. The feature film is produced by Rajani Korrapati, Rakesh Reddy Gaddam and Himank Reddy Duvvuru and the music composed by Akeeva B.

Director: Phanideep Producers: Rajani Korrapati, Rakesh Reddy Gaddam, Himank Reddy Duvvuru Music Director: Akeeva B Sound Designer: Ashwin Rajasekhar Cinematographer: Pavan Kumar Pappula Editor: Carthic Cuts

• తెలుగు

Ustaad Review: Amateur Effort

Movie: Ustaad Rating: 2/5 Banner: Varahi Chalana Chitram Cast: Sri Simha Koduri, Kavya Kalyanram, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Anu Hasan, Ravindra Vijay, Venkatesh Maha, Ravi Siva Teja, Sai Kiran Yedida and others Music: Akeeva B Cinematography: Pavan Kumar Pappula Editor: Carthic Cuts Producers: Rajani Korrapati - Rakesh Reddy Gaddam - Himank Reddy Duvvuru Writer and Director: Phanideep Release Date: Aug 12, 2023

"Ustaad" is the latest film featuring Sri Simha Koduri, the son of MM Keeravani. In an eleventh-hour effort to promote the film, director SS Rajamouli and Nani engaged in promotional activities. 

Now, let's delve into its strengths and weaknesses.

Story: The story is set in United Andhra Pradesh a decade ago. Surya (Sri Simha Koduri) is a pilot who grew up in a small town near Hyderabad. On his first day in the cockpit, he runs into the pilot (Gautam Vasudev Menon) who will be retiring that day.

They start talking, and Surya tells him about how his life was altered by his motorcycle, Ustaad, how he came to be in love with Meghana (Kavya Kalyan Ram), and how his mother instilled in him the confidence to succeed in life.

The film runs for over two hours and tells the story of his struggles in love as well as the true motivations that led him to become a pilot.

Artistes’ Performances: Sri Simha Koduri comes across as sincere, and he does a neat job of playing an impulsive young man. ‘Balagam' fame Kavya Kalyan Ram's performance in a relatively simple role is good. There are some good scenes for Anu Haasan, who plays the hero's mother, and she delivers.

As a fascinating mechanic, Ravindra Vijay holds his own. Ravi Siva Teja as the hero's pal provides some comedic relief.

Technical Excellence: The film seems to have made on a low budget. The technical and production qualities are just barely adequate. The music goes unnoticed.

Highlights: Couple of sequences in the final hour Kavya Kalyan Ram - Sri Simha’s  scenes

Drawback: Boring first half Amateur writing Slow-paced narrative No gripping moments

Analysis Moment-driven stories like 'Ustaad' require a compelling narrative to maintain the audience's interest. Filmmakers such as Gautham Menon and Sandeep Vanga have employed this technique to create timeless works.

Director Phanideep, seemingly inspired by these directors, has penned a script about an impulsive young man and attempted to chronicle his journey, but he lacks the verve to do so.

On paper, the concept of a motorcycle transforming a man's life and propelling him to become a pilot is thrilling. However, the director has struggled to convey it in an engaging manner.

The story unfolds in a small town near Hyderabad before the state was divided, an era devoid of smartphones. As a result, we witness the hero and heroine conversing on the porch and engaging in simple yet charming romantic sequences.

A significant subplot involves a drunken mechanic, an expert in bikes, who mentors the hero on trusting machines. He posits that machines remain faithful whereas humans deceive. However, this extended thread becomes tiresome after a certain point and would have benefited from brevity.

It's only after the interval that the film starts to find its footing, offering moments of enjoyment. The final half-hour, in particular, surpasses the preceding drama.

The decision to depict the protagonist as a pilot adds a positive dimension to the film. Thus, we partake in the Youngman's inaugural piloting experience. Additionally, two sequences involving the hero and his mother leave a lasting impression.

While the intentions are commendable and the efforts sincere, the narrative fails to grip. Overall, 'Ustaad' doesn't deliver an engaging experience, despite sporadic moments of brilliance.

Bottom line: No Grip

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Tags: Ustaad Ustaad Review Ustaad Movie Review Ustaad Rating Ustaad Movie Rating Ustaad Telugu Movie Review

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Release Date : August 12, 2023

123telugu.com Rating : 2.25/5

Starring: Sri Simha Koduri, Kavya Kalyanram, Gautham Menon, Anu Haasan, Ravindra Vijay, Venkatesh Maha, Ravi Siva Teja

Director: Phanideep

Producers: Rajani Korrapati – Rakesh Reddy Gaddam, Himank Reddy Duvvuru

Music Directors: Akeeva B

Cinematographer: Pavan Kumar Pappula

Editors: Carthic Cuts

Related Links : Trailer

Sri Simha Koduri, who has been entertaining audiences with his different scripts, has now come up with the film Ustaad. Directed by Phanideep, the film has Kavya Kalyanram as the female lead. Ustaad hit the screens today, and let’s see how it is.

The film is about Surya (Sri Simha Koduri), an aimless youngster. His life takes a complete turn after he purchases his first bike. It is named Ustaad by a mechanic played by Ravindra Vijay. Surya gets emotionally attached to his bike, which stimulates him to become a pilot. Also, he falls in love with Meghana (Kavya Kalyanram). But Surya faces roadblocks in his love life. What are they? How did Surya sort them out? Did Surya achieve his dream? This forms part of the crux of the story.

Plus Points:

Ustaad is a new chapter in the career of Sri Simha as an actor. The actor performed with aplomb throughout the film and flawlessly portrayed a wide variety of emotions involved in his character. He was highly convincing as a hot-blooded teenager. Sri Simha Koduri got his looks right for this particular teenage portions, and this helps us to connect with the character initially.

Though the first half has pacing issues, it has decent moments. The way Surya’s character is shown initially is good. There is this crucial scene where the protagonist’s bike and his childhood memories with his father act as the catalyst agent to evolve as a pilot. This scene has been shot so well and written brilliantly.

Kavya Kalyanram did her part well. Ravi Siva Teja is Tollywood’s new talent to watch out for. The young actor is impeccable with his comedy timing and one-liners. He played the hero’s friend role quite effectively. Anu Hasan is alright in her role.

Minus Points:

The interval block is nicely designed, and one would wish to see how the professional life of the protagonist moulds. But sadly, the second hour doesn’t take off and bores one with a stretched love track. The romantic portions were good initially, but they were dragged heavily in the second half. It would have been better had the professional angle of the lead actor been shown in a detailed manner.

The issues in the relationship are brought quite late. Though the scene involving Sri Simha and the heroine’s father is good, one would lose interest in the film by then due to many unnecessary scenes and a snail-paced narrative. Many scenes test the viewers’ patience in the second hour.

The story doesn’t move forward, and there is a lot of beating around the bush in the second half. The editing team should have chopped off many repetitive scenes. Ravindra Vijay did a good job, but his character lacked enough depth to take things to the next level.

Technical Aspects:

A couple of songs composed by Akeeva B were good on screen. The background score is fine. The cinematography by Pavan Kumar Pappula is neat. The production values are nice. As mentioned earlier, the editing team should have shortened the film’s length.

Coming to the debutant director, Phanideep, he chose a very good point but didn’t succeed in translating the same onto the screen effectively. The idea of making a bike act as a catalyst agent for the protagonist’s dream is fine, but the main issue is with the narrative in the second hour. The first half had some decent moments, but the entire second half is filled with repetitive scenes that damper the film’s soul.

On the whole, Ustaad is a coming-of-age drama that suffers mainly due to narrative issues. There are a few decent moments here and there, but the overall execution is below-par. The stretched love portions, unnecessary scenes, and slow pacing affect the movie considerably. Sri Simha Koduri is good in his role, but the film ends up being a disappointing watch.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.25/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

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At Cannes, Indian Filmmakers Show There Is More Than Just Bollywood

This year’s edition of the annual film festival features a prominent presence of Indian stories and storytellers that celebrates the country’s independent cinema.

By Nicolas Rapold

For the first time in 30 years at the Cannes Film Festival, an Indian film will compete for the Palme d’Or in the main competition, alongside new movies from Francis Ford Coppola, Yorgos Lanthimos and Andrea Arnold .

The dry spell might come as a surprise for a country with film industries in multiple regions producing hundreds of films per year, including international sensations like last year’s Oscar-nominated “RRR.”

But the inclusion of “All We Imagine as Light,” directed by Payal Kapadia, reflects a growing recognition of the independent cinema made in the shadow of the country’s mainstream hits.

Thierry Frémaux, the artistic director of Cannes, noted the new generations of filmmakers in India when he announced the lineup in April. These movies offer what the critic Namrata Joshi calls “a young, probing, and provoking gaze at Indian reality.” Indian publications have celebrated the country’s prominent presence at the festival, whose inaugural edition in 1946 included a film from India, Chetan Anand’s “Neecha Nagar,” in its grand prize category.

“All We Imagine as Light” joins a generally notable selection of Indian stories and storytellers across this year’s edition, which begins on Tuesday. Santosh Sivan will be the first Indian filmmaker to receive the Pierre Angénieux prize for career achievement in cinematography, and in the Un Certain Regard competition, Sandhya Suri’s “Santosh” follows a widow who takes on her husband’s policeman post.

In Directors’ Fortnight, a parallel program during Cannes, Karan Kandhari’s “Sister Midnight” portrays a defiant newly married woman who seeks vengeance. And in ACID (Association for the Distribution of Independent Cinema) — a parallel program at Cannes devoted to independent film — an Indian feature will screen for the first time, “In Retreat,” directed by Maisam Ali.

“It’s great because quite often we don’t have so many films from India represented in this way at Cannes,” Kapadia said in an interview from Paris where she was putting finishing touches on her film.

Centering on two roommates, “All We Imagine as Light” is, Kapadia says, “about women who’ve come to Mumbai to work.” She returns to Cannes after winning best documentary in 2021 for her university-set reflection on love and protest, “A Night of Knowing Nothing.” But independent Indian productions can face a long road to screens at home because of domestic funding challenges and markets more accustomed to mainstream fare.

“If you want to do something that’s a little experimental, it becomes challenging to find funding,” Kapadia said. “There are a few funds, but it’s a really big country and there are a lot of people.”

Despite the obstacles, Indian films of modest budgets and artistic ambition have won awards abroad recently in major festivals like Sundance, “All That Breathes” in 2022; Rotterdam, “Pebbles” in 2021; and Venice, “The Disciple” in 2020.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York opened a 2022 showcase of independent movies from India by proclaiming: “Indian cinema’s diversity has been energized by a growing number of impressive independent works.” And documentaries have especially garnered the spotlight recently with Academy Award nominations, including “All That Breathes” and “Writing with Fire,” despite having no consistent theatrical distribution within India.

“I think the spirit of independent films in India has always been strong,” Deepti DCunha, artistic director of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, said. “But very few people have the access and they can find it difficult to get their movies seen anywhere.”

What’s helped many Indian filmmakers are co-productions with European countries, and the chance to get exposure to potential producers at the annual Film Bazaar, an event in Goa with a curated market for Indian films, producers and programmers visiting from abroad, and work-in-progress labs. But another nexus for a recent generation of independent filmmakers is film school. The Film and Television Institute of India (F.T.I.I.) in Pune, which Kapadia attended, is one such bastion, as is Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi.

“The F.T.I.I. has provided an indefatigable supply of not only technicians in terms of editors, sound people, D.O.P.s [directors of photography] and so on, but also directors,” Shaunak Sen, who directed “All That Breathes,” said in an interview from Delhi.

Sen counts himself lucky: his film about two brothers running a bird clinic in Delhi went to Sundance, Cannes and the Oscars, and was picked up by HBO. But he sees what independent filmmakers can face in India, “where you know you’re staring at this mammoth industry of Bollywood, working in a tiny nook, and trying to will a film into existence.”

Kapadia’s film was in development since late 2018, taking time to find funding. She was writing the script for “All We Imagine as Light” while she was still making her documentary “A Night of Knowing Nothing.” The F.T.I.I. was central to Kapadia’s career, and where she met her partner, whom she also works with, and other “go-to film companions.”

But an international connection was important: She worked on both films with a young French company, learning together as they moved from small documentary production to a sometimes 80-person crew for “All We Imagine as Light.” (“Big crew, small film!” she said with a laugh.) The French co-production also had support from the Netherlands through the Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which supports filmmakers across the globe at various stages of creating their movies.

“The independent film industry in Europe is really well designed. They support you at every stage,” Kapadia said, listing off grants for script writing, production, postproduction and distribution.

She mused what it would be like if India could adopt the French system of levying taxes on ticket sales that can be used to support independent filmmaking. (She’s not alone in wondering: An editorial in the Indian Express said Kapadia’s inclusion offered “an opportunity to introspect on why it has taken three decades for a film from one of the world’s top film-producing nations to once again make it to this eminent stage.”)

These are the challenges that filmmakers like Kapadia must master, not just to make their movies but to find audiences. Programmers at international festivals can help with encouraging independent voices, viewing works in progress in India or through links.

In the case of the ACID selection, “In Retreat,” the filmmaker Ali (another F.T.I.I. graduate) submitted the film, which was one of hundreds considered by the programming team. Shot in the high-altitude Ladakh region, it’s the story of a middle-aged man trying to return home to a mountain town for his brother’s funeral.

“I didn’t know the director was young, because when you see the film, it’s incredibly deep, really mature,” Pamela Varela, one of ACID’s programmers, said, before bestowing the highest auteurist compliment. “This is really a film by someone. You see it from the first sequence, which is amazing.”

The up-and-coming generations of Indian independent filmmakers share a willingness to experiment formally and, outside of the demands of a studio and mass market, might have more freedom to confront political issues of inequality or caste, for example. “Especially if it’s a French co-production,” Kapadia said with a smile. “They are very much for free speech, so they are quite supportive of whatever you want to do.”

These filmmakers find kinship both at home and abroad. Kapadia compared making films to “making a quilt, a craft” and mentioned the Indian filmmakers Yashaswini Raghunandan and Ekta Mittal.

Like cinephiles globally, filmmakers are in tune with directors from across the world, though Sen also cited the particular “neighborly” bond with other South Asian cinemas that reflect a postcolonial modernity.

When it comes to the independent “new wave,” though, don’t call it a comeback: By all accounts, the talent was always there. Cannes just presents a dazzlingly bright spotlight and opportunity.

“I don’t think it is that we have recently seen a new wave in talent,” DCunha said. “It’s more that now Europe is paying attention, or America’s paying attention.”

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