Anasuya Sengupta makes history by becoming first Indian to win top acting award at Cannes.

In a historic moment, Anasuya Sengupta made her mark at the Cannes Film Festival by becoming the first Indian actress to win a major acting award. The talented actress, who is not widely known in the industry, has spent most of her career working behind the scenes as a production designer in Mumbai. She currently resides in the serene coastal state of Goa.

Sengupta's remarkable performance in Bulgarian director Constantin Bojanov's film, The Shameless, earned her the prestigious Best Actress award in the Un Certain Regard category of the festival. The movie, which also features the renowned actress Mita Vashist, was filmed in India and Nepal over a period of six weeks.

Interestingly, Bojanov and Sengupta were already connected on social media, with the director being her friend on Facebook. It came as a pleasant surprise to Sengupta when Bojanov reached out to her and asked for an audition tape. This unexpected opportunity marked the beginning of her acting career, leaving behind her previous work as a production designer.

Prior to her breakthrough role in The Shameless, Sengupta had worked as a production designer for Srijit Mukherjee's Forget Me Not in Netflix's 2021 Satyajit Ray anthology and Masaba Masaba. But it was her portrayal of Renuka, a wanderer who seeks refuge in a community of sex workers in northern India, after being accused of murder in Delhi, that truly captivated the audience.

The film revolves around Renuka's forbidden love affair with a teenager named Devika, played by Omara Shetty, who is initially protected from entering the world of sex work due to her physical disabilities, but not for long.

As she accepted the award, Sengupta was overwhelmed with emotions, trembling with excitement. In a heartfelt speech, she dedicated her win to the queer community and other marginalized groups, acknowledging their ongoing struggles and courage. And with a powerful statement, she reminded everyone that we do not need to be colonized to know the true nature of colonizers. Her words were met with thunderous applause and cheers, marking a moment of triumph for not just Sengupta, but for all those who have been fighting against injustice.

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