Agra, on release in cinemas

Kanu Behl is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter who was born in Kapurthala and studied at Apeejay School in Noida, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Business from the University of Delhi. In 2003, he joined the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute for a postgraduate degree in cinema. After graduating, he produced and directed documentaries for international channels NHK, Japan and ZDF/Arte. His first film, Titli, featured at several international film festivals, including Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Zurich, Filmfest Hamburg and BFI London. His second feature film, Agra, was selected for the Directors' Fortnight Cannes in 2023. 

In Agra, Kanu Behl tells the story of Guru, a young man in love with his colleague Mala, who works with him in a call centre. While he still lives with his parents, though his father and mother live apart, their lives change when he tells them he intends to marry Mala. This is the starting point for a long series of tensions, which will see family frustrations and bitterness unfold as markers of a broken Indian society. 

With his second feature, Kanu Behl delivers on the promise seen in Titli and his deeply dark vision of an India under imposing turmoil. Agra stands out as the relentless portrait of a society rooted in violence and its deprivations of freedom. The filmmaker mixes psychedelic quest and sexual misery for a painfully lucid observation of everyday life with raw dialogue and feverish directing. 

Agra was selected for the Directors' Fortnight at the most recent Cannes Festival in 2023. It also won the Jury Award at the Mumbai Film Festival. Released in France on 3 April 2023, the film has been supported by Aide aux cinémas du monde, a selective grant co-managed by the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée and the Institut français. It is awarded to feature film projects of fiction, animation, or creative documentary intended for an initial cinematic release.