Over the months, Sanaa has won acclaim at many international film festivals, including the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. But getting validation from one’s home country is a different feeling altogether. Radhika Madan agrees. Her movie recently had its India première at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI). “People would have thought that we’d be relaxed after winning acclaim in other festivals, but we were nervous before the première. We wanted validation from our country,” she smiles.

Sudhanshu Saria