Indian Cinema’s Toronto Renaissance: From Margins to Mainstream

By Pickle  August 10, 2025

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The relationship between Indian cinema and TIFF has evolved from occasional showcasing to a robust, strategic partnership. The festival’s curation of Indian films has expanded in scope and depth over the decades, starting with the programming of Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khilari in one of TIFF’s early years. 

Recent years have demonstrated Indian films’ growing prominence at Toronto. The 2023 edition proved particularly significant, with three Indian films claiming major awards. Tarsem Singh Dhandwar’s Dear Jassi won the prestigious Platform Award, while Jayant Somalkar’s Marathi film A Match claimed the NETPAC Award, and Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s Kill secured first runner-up in the Midnight Madness section.

The 2025 festival continues this momentum with four confirmed Indian selections: Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, Anurag Kashyap’s Monkey in a Cage, Bikas Mishra’s Bayaan, debutant Jitank Singh Gurjar’s In Search of the Sky, Hansal Mehta’s upcoming web series Gandhi (in Primetime, which steps into its tenth year), and a special 50th anniversary restoration of Ramesh Sippy’s iconic Sholay and Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri TIFF Classics Section. . Notably, Homebound features Martin Scorsese as an executive producer, signalling significant international confidence in Indian storytelling.

Earlier triumphs include notable People’s Choice Award winners, such as Pan Nalin’s Angry Indian Goddesses (first runner-up in 2015). In 2018, Vasan Bala’s Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota won the Midnight Madness People’s Choice Award. That apart, Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Jallikattu was selected for TIFF’s landmark “50 Films That Shaped Its Legacy” series. The festival has also showcased restored Indian classics, including the 2024 special screening of Raj Kapoor’s 1951 masterpiece Awara to commemorate the legendary filmmaker’s centenary.

In 2001, the Indian film Maya, directed by Digvijay Singh, won the People’s Choice first runner-up award, relegating Mira Nair’s Venice Golden Lion-winning Monsoon Wedding to the second runner-up spot. The very next year, British-Indian director Gurinder Chadha’s Bend It Like Beckham was the People’s Choice Award second runner-up. Mira Nair was back in the mix in 2016 with Queen of Katwe, an American sports drama set in a slum in Kampala, Uganda.

This growing Indian presence reflects TIFF’s broader commitment to international cinema, with Anita Lee, the Chief Programming Officer at TIFF, noting that global audiences, particularly younger demographics, show “ever greater interest in international films.”