While Bollywood and South Cinema is fighting it out at the box office, it is the independent cinema of the country that is making India proud globally. As cinema becomes content, a few independent filmmakers going against the tide and refusing to treat cinema as just a commercial venture. After the 2024 Cannes run, this year too, the Indian independent cinema is making its presence felt at international film festivals. One hopes unlike Kennedy and Santosh, movies that got international acclaim but are yet to secure a release back home, these movies manage have a better fate in India. Here are 7 movies that we can’t wait to watch:
Bandar (Hindi)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Festival: Toronto International Film Festival (upcoming)
Inspired by true events and starring Bobby in the lead role, the movie, also titled Monkey In A Cage, will have its world premiere at Tiff this year where it has been selected for the Special Presentations section.
Homebound (Hindi)
Director: Neeraj Ghaywan
Festival: Toronto International Film Festival (upcoming)
Produced by Dharma and with Martin Scorsese as the executive producer, it premiered at the 78th Cannes Film Festival under the Un Certain Regard section. Now the Ishaan Khatter-Vishal Jethwa-Janhvi Kapoor starrer has been picked up for the Toronto International Film Festival 2025 Galas.
Difficult Daughters
Director: Soni Razdan
Festival: Busan International Film Festival (upcoming)
Produced by Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt along with Alan McAlex and Grishma Shah, Difficult Daughters is among the four films from India selected for this year's Asian Project Market at the Busan International Film Festival.
Guptam (Malayalam)
Director: Kunjila Mascillamani
Festival: Busan International Film Festival (upcoming)
Alternatively titled Last of Them Plagues, the film sees Cannes Palme d'Or winning film All We Imagine As Light’s director Payal Kapadia and actor Kani Kusruti team up and turn producer along with The Great Indian Kitchen’s director Jeo Baby, and Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal.
Sabar Bonda (Marathi)
Director: Rohan Parshuram Kanawade
Festival: Sundance Film Festival
Kanawade’s feature debut, also titled Cactus Pears, was picked up for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It was the only entry from India and went on to win the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic.
Baksho Bondi (Bengali)
Director: Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi
Festival: Berlin International Film Festival
Directed by debut filmmakers and co-produced by actors Tillotama Shome and Jim Sarbh, Baksho Bondi or Shadow Box had its world premiere at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year and is now selected as the opening film for the 2025 edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.
Village Rockstars 2 (Assamese)
Director: Rima Das
Festival: Berlin International Film Festival
The movie had its European premiere at the Berlinale International Film Festival 2025. It also recently won the International Feature Film Competition for Women Directors at the 42nd Internationales Frauen Film Fest Dortmund Koln in Germany.
