India’s sole entry at Cannes, Udaan almost didn’t get made

The Anurag Kashyap production Udaan, India’s only entry at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival, was almost shelved as director Vikramaditya Motwane faced repeated rejections for his script.

The Anurag Kashyap production Udaan, India’s only entry at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival, was almost shelved as director Vikramaditya Motwane faced repeated rejections for his script.

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Though the script was ready in 2003, he had a hard time convincing producers to put money into his project. “I could not find money to make it. Some found the script hollow without conviction, others lambasted the concept. But when I met Anurag Kashyap, he immediately agreed to finance the film and even wrote the dialogue for it,” Motwane said.

“My film was not made to be part of a competition like this in Cannes, and for me this is a real bonus,” said the director, still overwhelmed by the film’s success, at a conference held at the India Pavilion at Cannes.