SS Rajamouli, Yash react to Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know win at Cannes

Congratulations are in order for Kannada filmmaker Chidananda S. Naik after his film Sunflowers Were the First Ones won the first prize at La Cinef for Best Short at the Cannes Film Festival. Filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli, whose previous film "RRR" created history by winning an Oscar, expressed joy about Indian talents shining on coveted international stages.

"Indian talent breaching boundaries… Happy to hear that @Chidanandasnaik’s ‘Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know’ has won the La Cinef Award for Best Short Film at Cannes 2024! Kudos to the youngsters," tweeted Rajamouli, who is playing an instrumental role in elevating the profile of the Indian film industry globally.

Before Rajamouli, Kannada superstar Yash also shared his wishes for Naik and appreciated him for spreading the richness of Kannada folklore to different parts of the world. "Many congratulations @Chidanandasnaik for winning the La Cinef Award for Best Short Film at Cannes for ‘Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know’! Proud to see you take Kannada folklore to the global stage and set new benchmarks for Indian cinema!," he tweeted.

Actor Ranganathan Madhavan also tweeted his appreciation for Naik, who is a student at FTII. "Congratulations to Mr. Chidananda Naik and to the entire team for this very prestigious honor. May this be just the beginning of an illustrious career with many more extraordinary recognitions and love," he added.

Naik's short film is based on Kannada folklore about how the sun does not rise after an elderly woman steals a rooster.

The 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is drawing to a close. Indian talents, in particular, made a very good impression on the highly discerning global audiences at the festival. Director Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine as Light has created quite a buzz at the festival.