Cannes 2024: Meet Anasuya Sengupta, Production Designer-Turned Actor, Who Clinched Best Actress Award At 77th Film Festival

Anasuya Sengupta made the entire nation proud as she became the first Indian to receive the prestigious acting award at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on a Friday evening. Sengupta has maintained a lowkey profile and has worked as a production designer in Mumbai. Anasuya was honoured Best Actress award at the Un Certain Regard segment of the festival. She won the award for her role in Bulgarian director Constantin Bojanov’s film, The Shameless. Apart from Sengupta, the movie also features well-known actress Mita Vashist in its star cast. 

Who is Anasuya Sengupta? 

Born in 1974, Anasuya is a production designer-turned-actress. In 2009, Sengupta made her debut in a suporting role in Anjan Dutta’s film Madly Bangalee. Later in 2013, Anasuya moved to Mumbai for better opportunities. She then started working as a production designer. As a production designer, Anasuya worked on renowned projects including Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher-starrer Saat Uchakkey, and Ali Fazal-starrer Forget Me Not and also lent her visual expertise to Netfliz show Masaba Masaba. 

Talking about her work, Anasuya shared in an interview with My Kolkata, “As a production designer in Mumbai, the projects I hold closest to my heart include Sanjeev Sharma’s Saat Uchakkey (2016) and Srijit Mukherji’s Forget Me Not, part of Netflix’s anthology Ray (2021).” 

She also confessed to My Kolkata, “Although connected to the world of art, a part of me felt lost, devoid of free expression.” The actor further added,  “I was unsure about the financial viability, but my father’s words, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ gave me the courage.” 

The Shameless premiered at Cannes on May 17, delving into a dark and disturbing world of exploitation and misery. It follows two sex workers: one bearing the scars of her profession, the other a young girl on the brink of ritual initiation. Together, they form a bond and strive to break free from their constraints. The film also features Mita Vashisht, Tanmay Dhanania, Rohit Kokate, and Auroshikha Dey in pivotal roles.