Director Anuparna Roy, who made her debut with Songs Of Forgotten Trees (2025), became the first Indian to win the Best Director award at the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival in 2025. This year her sophomore feature film, Lovers In The Blue Night, will mark her return to the same section of the festival.
The story of Lovers In The Blue Night reads, "Set against Mumbai's restless nights, the film follows four migrants—a closeted husband, his lonely wife who works in a bar, a small-time thief and a pimp—whose lives intersect through unexpected love, survival and forbidden desire. Told in Hindi with Sylheti Bengali and Marathi, the film explores longing, migration, identity and the search for belonging in a city that leaves little room for vulnerability."
Speaking about her return to the Venice Film Festival, director Anuparna said, "I'm overwhelmed with gratitude that Lovers in the Blue Night is heading to Venice. Returning to the Orizzonti Competition, after Songs of Forgotten Trees last year, is both humbling and deeply emotional. I'm deeply thankful to the Venice programming team for believing in our film, and to our producers, Sharib Khan and Vikas Kumar at Khan & Kumar Media, who have stood by my vision with unwavering trust across both films. This recognition belongs to the entire team who poured their hearts into the film, and I hope it encourages more honest, fearless, and deeply human stories to find their audience."
On Lovers In The Blue Night Anuparna said, "The film draws from my own life as a migrant, watching working-class lives slowly dissolve into the restless pulse of the city. It is about people who dare to desire in a world that punishes feelings—a gay man bound by duty, a woman yearning to be seen, and a thief craving acceptance."
She added, "As a filmmaker, I have always been drawn to stories that are deeply personal and political. As a child, I knew a woman named Ameena, who worked as a bonded labourer in my hometown. She became my constant companion. One day, I innocently asked her why she and her husband Karim never slept together. She quietly replied, 'He doesn't take me with him.' I did not understand what she meant then, but the moment stayed with me. Through this film, I wanted to carry that memory into an imagined Mumbai, where Ameena chooses her own freedom and desire, and lives the life she wants—even if that freedom leads her into another kind of loop, one that is finally chosen by her."
The cast of Lovers In The Blue Night includes Neelima Sharma, Pritam Pilania, Bhushan Shimpi, Jatin Sarin, Kajal Keshav, and Vinod Suryavanshi.
Lovers In The Blue Night is produced by Vikas Kumar, Sharib Khan, Bibhanshu Rai and Romil Modi. Khan & Kumar Media and Ammi Media are the banners backing the film.
