'All We Imagine As Light' actress Kani Kusruti on being trolled for showing solidarity to Palestine at Cannes 2024: 'I wonder why actors…'

The 77th edition of Cannes Film Festival was iconic in many ways. It was a game-changing and historic year for India, and many celebrities across the globe extended their support to Palestine with their dresses or accessories on the red carpet.

Indian actress Kani Kusruti made a powerful gesture of solidarity with Palestine by wearing a watermelon-shaped clutch. Her film All We Imagine as Light, directed by Payal Kapadia, won the prestigious Grand Prix award and made history.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, she spoke about being trolled by few people on social media for her support to Palestine. “I found this clutch while we were still figuring out if we could embroider something on the outfit, put on a brooch, or paint the Gaza map. And since we were all wearing solid on that particular day, I picked up a white dress that added to the colour of the Palestine map.”

The actress added, “Honestly, this hasn’t happened for the first time. I am used to it. Sometimes, I also wonder why actors even get so much attention, even for a film. We are all just doing our work. As for this time, some people said I supported Gaza and why didn’t I talk about Israel, or the war in Ukraine? The whataboutery goes on but I am just not bothered. It’s everyone’s right to question, so it’s okay. We all have our individual beliefs.”

And speaking to Manorama News in an interview, the actress said she wouldn’t do films if the narrative didn’t align with her own politics.

Kani also spoke about her 2020 film Biriyaani which won her a state award but also came under criticism and scrutiny for allegedly being Islamophobic. The actress said, “I had told Sajin that neither my politics nor aesthetics were aligned with the script. Sajin comes from a backward Muslim community and speaks his politics, which is correct in its own right. But that is not my politics.”