Cannes 2023: Kanu Behl’s ‘Agra’ gets 5-minute standing ovation at Directors’ Fortnight

Kanu Behl’s film ‘Agra’ had its world premiere at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday. The only Indian film to premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section this year received a 5-minute standing ovation.

The premiere was attended by co-writer and director Kanu, actors Priyanka Bose, Mohit Agarwal, and producers Siddharth Anand Kumar, Sahil Sharma, and William Jehannin.

The ‘Agra’ team has shared pictures and videos from the world premiere on social media. After the premiere, Kanu Behl shared that it was overwhelming to see a story that took him on a very personal journey, receive such love and warmth on the global stage.

‘Agra’ marks the comeback of actor Rahul Roy, who was not at Cannes. It also stars veteran actors Vibha Chibber, Sonal Jha and Aanchal Goswami in pivotal roles.

The film, written by Kanu Behl and Atika Chohan, explores of sexual dynamics within a family.
‘Agra's synopsis reads, ‘Guru (25), a sexually repressed young boy, lives in a small house in Agra. He sleeps in the same room as his mother, and on the upper floor his father lives with a mistress. In an already tiny house, the only available space is the terrace on the upper floor. Guru insists that he loves Mala, an imaginary girl, and will marry her and live with her in a room on the terrace just like his father does with his mistress.’

Kanu's directorial debut ‘Titli’, starred Shashank Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi and Ranvir Shorey. It premiered in the 2014 Cannes Un Certain Regard section.

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