Image instagrammed by Anasuya Sengupta. (courtesy: AnasuyaSengupta)
Anasuya Sengupta is on cloud nine, and she has every reason to be. The star has etched her name in history by becoming the first Indian actor to win the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival. Anasuya received the trophy in the Un Certain Regard segment for her portrayal of Renuka in the film The Shameless. The movie has been written and directed by Bulgarian filmmaker Constantin Bojanov. Talking about her winning moment, Anasuya told the Hindustan Times, “I couldn't believe it was happening! But as I shakily walked to the stage and stood with artists I have admired, my heroes, it felt oddly natural to be welcomed with so much authenticity and love by them. I am so grateful to the jury for seeing my hard work."
After her grand victory, Anasuya Sengupta received congratulatory messages from many industry colleagues, including Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, and Arjun Kapoor. Commenting on this, the actress added, "I am amazed at the love pouring in from so many back home, it makes me proud to make everyone proud. I am literally taxi-ing in the plane now on my way home to my family, I just can't wait to be with them.”
During the same discussion Anasuya Sengupta also spoke about the hard work she put in for The Shameless. She mentioned, "I auditioned for it, my director Constantin had reached out. It was a lead role…I have worked so hard for so long, and I'm here to keep doing it more and more. It all feels worth it when I look back, and all the pieces are wonderfully coming together for me finally."
Anasuya Sengupta dedicated her award to the queer community. In her winning speech, the star said, “I dedicate this and so much more to the queer community, other marginalised communities all over the world for so bravely fighting a fight that they really should not have to fight. You don't have to be queer to fight for equality, you don't have to be colonised to know that colonising is pathetic — we just need to be very, very decent human beings.”
Check out a video of her speech shared by a user on X [formerly Twitter]:
The Shameless was screened at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 17. The film revolves around Renuka (played by Anasuya Sengupta), who manages to escape from a Delhi brothel after killing a police officer. In addition to Anasuya, the movie features Omara, Auroshikha Dey, and Rohit Kokate in pivotal roles.