As the 79th Cannes Film Festival, approaches, several Indian stars are preparing for their red carpet appearances. Among them is actor-filmmaker Anshuman Jha, who will make his debut at the festival with a slate announcement unveiling six films under his production house. The lineup includes titles such as Lakadbaggha 2, The Burning, Hari Om and Bajrangi.
For Anshuman, known for films such as Lakadbaggha (2023) and Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010), all six projects, he says, are rooted in what he “deeply believes” in: “They all carry a social commentary. That’s very important to me as a filmmaker. And there’s no better platform than Cannes to announce ambition. Each film truly has its own journey.”
The 41-year-old stresses that authenticity remains central to his storytelling. “Every story you tell has to be rooted in the culture you come from; only then will it feel truthful and resonate with audiences,” he shares. While the films are “deeply Indian in nature”, he adds, “They carry universal emotions. That’s what connects them to a global audience.”
Through his production house, First Ray Films, Jha is focused on backing independent voices. “We want to give writers and directors the freedom to tell the stories they want to tell. That’s why we don’t do sanctioned stuff, we develop everything ourselves,” he says, adding that he is selective in how he approaches the market. “When I meet a distributor, I’m not going with all six films. I go with the ones that have a genuine possibility in that territory,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}Through his production house, First Ray Films, Jha is focused on backing independent voices. “We want to give writers and directors the freedom to tell the stories they want to tell. That’s why we don’t do sanctioned stuff, we develop everything ourselves,” he says, adding that he is selective in how he approaches the market. “When I meet a distributor, I’m not going with all six films. I go with the ones that have a genuine possibility in that territory,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}Despite the scale of the announcement, his expectations remain measured. “You can’t take your film to international film festivals if it’s not good, you either win or you learn.”