May 08, 2026 5:04pm IST
Mouni Roy-Led ‘Bombay Stories’ Based on Saadat Hasan Manto’s Novel To Screen at Cannes 2026 (EXCLUSIVE)
Actress Mouni Roy is all set to attend the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. The actress has been making red carpet appearances at the event over the past few years, but this time it’s more special. Mouni will attend the screening of her movie, an Indo-American production. She is playing a pivotal role in filmmaker Rahhat Shah Kazmi’s directorial based on Saadat Hasan Manto’s ‘Bombay Stories.’ The novel is set in the 1930s exploring Mumbai (then Bombay) in a satirical and fantastical manner. Also starring Anupriya Goenka and Sushmiita Siingh, the movie is based on the lives of sex workers in the city.
Kazmi confirms the screening at the Marché du Film this year, “It is going to be presented at the Cannes Film Market. Further details will come out from Cannes on May 19. We are holding a poster launch as well. It is a strong women-centric film with a message. It is based on an anthology written by one of the Indian subcontinent’s greatest authors."
The filmmaker’s last film, “Love In Vietnam,” was also a global collaboration. He has a long association with author Saadat Hasan Manto’s works. He reminisces, “My journey started from Cannes in 2016. I did not know much about the festival when we were making “Mantostaan” (2017), based on Manto’s stories about Partition. Luckily, we landed in Cannes, and the platform gave us a lot of recognition. It connected us to many international festivals where we bagged awards. Later, Netflix picked that film. It was a movie made on a miniscule budget with a lot of passion.”
“From that point of time, Cannes became my most important and desired film festival. It is not just a place to showcase movies. On the sidelines, you can crack deals, sell your films, find sales agents and distributors. Besides the immensely competitive ‘Competition Section,’ there are other avenues to present your film. This helps you reach a wider audience. The idea of going to a festival is to find a path for your films and meet the right kind of people,” the director concludes.
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