*All We Imagine : 'Actor Haridhu Haroon on Cannes win : ' None of us could process it'*

Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light' made its mark at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, earning the Grand Prix, the second-highest award at the film festival.

The film, starring Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, and Hridhu Haroon, was competing in the main competition and received a standing ovation of at least 8 minutes at the premiere.

Hridhu, who plays the role of Shiaz in 'All We Imagine As Light,' spoke to Bharat Janpaksh News in exclusively about the winning moment, the viral dance on the red carpet, working with Payal, and the ongoing case against her by FTII.

Excerpts from the interview below:

'All We Imagine as Light' winning the Grand Prix at Cannes was such a delightful moment. How have the last few days been for you?

I think I've just experienced a dreamlike moment because it's every actor's dream to visit a film festival like Cannes. Not just actors, but everyone associated with films would love this as it is the most prestigious film festival. We are all on cloud nine right now. It's great. I am still soaking it all in, and I am extremely grateful.

Can you take me back to the winning moment at Cannes? What was it like?

The moment when we went on the red carpet to enter the closing ceremony, it was all blank. We were all so excited at that moment, and we didn't want to focus on anything else. And then we won, and I think for a good few minutes, none of us could process it. We didn't speak much. We were very casual about it, but the moment it sunk in, we were just so excited. But in that moment, all of us reacted differently.

What about the standing ovation? To see the audience react passionately to the story you are a part of, was it surreal?

When we got the standing ovation, it was unbelievable. You can dream of these things, but to get such adulation on an international platform is surreal. Indian films, especially independent film, not mainstream, getting this honour is an achievement. It's a whole other level of excitement. At the same time, I felt humbled by all the love and appreciation.

One of the highlights from Cannes was definitely how beautifully you all entered the red carpet dancing. The videos went viral. Was it all planned?

Honestly, there was no plan. We didn't even talk or decide or anything before we walked the red carpet. We were all nervous and excited. But I think Divya and Chayya ji were so excited, they started dancing out of nervousness, excitement, and all that together. And once they started dancing, I think we also started to dance along with them, and the press loved it. They were like, 'Oh, please do more'. I think a few others were dancing with us. It was a total celebration.