All We Imagine as Light actor Kani Kusruti: 'I don't get a lot of offers in Malayalam cinema'

Actor Kani Kusruti made quite a splash at the recently concluded edition of the Cannes Film Festival. From her wardrobe choice expressing solidarity with Palestine to her film All We Imagine as Light winning the Grand Prix, Kani Kusruti experienced one of the most rewarding moments in her career.

Kani Kusruti has carved a niche for herself with her inimitable performances in independent movies. However, she has very limited credits in mainstream Malayalam movies. Is it because Kani is extremely selective about her work or due to a lack of opportunities in the Malayalam film fraternity?

ALSO READ: All We Imagine as Light director Payal Kapadia praises Malayalam cinema at Cannes: 'The audience in Kerala...'

Where Kani Kusruti impressively weighs in on multiple discourses that happened on Twitter in the last few days:

- Women in Malayalam cinema
- Palestine solidarity on red carpet
- Biriyaani's politics and her choice of work pic.twitter.com/3fMxDYetb4

— Siddharth (@DearthOfSid) May 28, 2024

"I don't get a lot of offers in the Malayalam film industry. I have requested auditions with the filmmakers I like but in vain. I get audition calls (mostly) from Hindi filmmakers," she told Manorama News.

Kani also weighed in on the ongoing debate about the declining presence of significant women characters in popular Malayalam movies in recent times.

"I think there is truth to that argument. See, you can only include characters in a film that are required in a story. But in an industry that makes 200 films a year, how many movies have strong and beautifully written women characters? Are women characters written to reflect their realities or are they by-products of the male gaze? In an industry known for talented writers, why are there not many strong women characters? I think these are the relevant questions," she remarked.

ALSO READ: All We Imagine as Light director Payal Kapadia at Cannes: 'Please don't wait for another 30 years...'

Earlier, filmmaker Anjali Menon also supported the debate about the shrinking space for women in Malayalam cinema.

Kani Kusruti is now basking in the global success of All We Imagine as Light. Written and directed by Payal Kapadia, the film made history by becoming the first Indian film in 30 years to compete and win a top award at the Cannes Festival. Besides Kani, the film also stars Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, and Hridhu Haroon.

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