“Proud to be living in an era where I could witness a talent like Payal Kapadia!” – Ayushmann Khurrana pens a note in TIME Magazine for the trailblazing director who is a part of TIME100 list

Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light made history this year as the first from India to win Cannes’ Grand Prix and the country celebrated lovingly, along with the members of the film fraternity. Taking this win and worldwide recognition, Payal featured as part of the Time Magazine Time100 Next 24 which celebrates today’s most influential leaders. Honoring her work with All We Imagine As Light, Ayushmann penned down some beautiful words as a heartfelt tribute to the filmmaker, calling her ‘nothing short of a trailblazer.’

Talking about Payal Kapadia and her film, Ayushmann Khurrana as part of the Time100 Next 24 mentioned, “Payal Kapadia is nothing short of a trailblazer. Her 2024 film, All We Imagine as Light, made history this year as the first from India to win Cannes’ Grand Prix. The movie is a master class of emotions—deeply reflective, philosophical, and meditative in its approach.”

Furthermore, talking about her filmmaking, Ayushmann wrote, “There is a powerful believability to how she portrays the human experience onscreen. Her authenticity and her lens on reality are part of what makes her work so rare.”

Talking about her win at Cannes and how it is a milestone for our country, he added, “What she achieved at Cannes is a milestone for Indian cinema. I’m proud to be living in an era where I could witness a talent like Payal showing the world that Indian stories resonate universally, transcending geographies and languages. Her win will inspire other filmmakers and artists to follow in her footsteps and think big. India is a young country of more than 1.4 billion people. We have 1.4 billion stories to tell, and Payal has boldly, loudly, and brilliantly told everyone to pursue their dreams. It would be an honor to work with her, and to engage with her mind.”

Khurrana’s tribute not only acknowledges Payal’s tremendous success but also underscores her influence on the next generation of storytellers across the globe. Now that Ayushmann has mentioned he would like to work with her, we can’t wait to see what these two artists whip up together, surely a masterpiece!