Exclusive! Anasuya Sengupta after winning the Best Actress at Cannes: It has been wild

It is nothing short of a magic moment for India as Anasuya Sengupta bagged the Best Actress Award in the Un Certain Regard at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. The award came for performance in Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov’s The Shameless. She is the first Indian actress to receive the honour.

Also read: Cannes Film Festival: Anasuya Sengupta creates history, wins Best Actress in Un Certain Regard 

When OTTplay contacted Anusuya on Saturday evening, the actress boarded the flight. It goes without saying that she is still in a state of disbelief. She said that she was speechless. “It has been wild. I am still speechless. I am so proud to be a part of a story like this. I am happy. Right now I am glad that I will be back home to my family,” she told us.

Her film The Shameless premiered in Cannes on May 17. It is based on William Dalrymple’s Nine Lives and deals with the lives of two sex workers Devika (played by Omara Shetty) and Renuka (Anasuya). Renuka escapes from a Delhi brothel after killing a police officer. She takes refuge in another brothel where she meets Devika. The film also features Mita Vashisht, Tanmay Dhanania, Rohit Kokate, and Auroshikha Dey in key roles.

Anasuya’s co-actor Tanmay shared a video of her in a state of shock after her name was announced on Saturday. She dedicated the award to the queer community in her acceptance speech. “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,” she said.

Also read: Cannes 2024 – Kiara Advani recalls completing almost a decade in Bollywood as she makes her French Riviera debut 

Kolkata girl Anasuya completed her degree in English from Jadavpur University. Before moving to Mumbai to work as a production designer and actress, she worked with Anjan Dutt in Madly Bangalee in Kolkata. Before boarding her flight, she said, “There will be a press conference soon, and I can’t wait to share my feelings and thoughts then. Please allow me a little time as I am on my way back to my family and friends now. Just got on the plane. I am so proud to have made everyone proud.”

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