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

Anasuya Sengupta created history as she bagged the Best Actress Award in the Un Certain Regard at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. She is the first Indian actress to receive the honour. The award came for performance in Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov’s The Shameless.

The film premiered in Cannes on May 17. It delves into the lives of two sex workers who develop a bond and try to break free from the life they live. Anasuya plays the character of Renuka, who escapes from a Delhi brothel after killing a police officer. She takes refuge in another brothel where she meets Devika (played by Omara Shetty). The film is based on William Dalrymple’s Nine Lives. The film also features Mita Vashisht, Tanmay Dhanania, Rohit Kokate, and Auroshikha Dey in key roles.

After receiving the award, Anasuya dedicated the honour to the queer community and other marginalised communities across the world for fighting for their rights. “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.

Anasuya hails from Kolkata and completed her degree in English from Jadavpur University. She played a key role in Anjan Dutt’s Madly Bangalee in 2009. Later, she moved to Mumbai and worked as a production designer.