‘In Retreat’ Producer Tackles Gulf Wife Syndrome in Film Bazaar Drama Project ‘Kurinji’

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran Fresh off his Cannes 2024 success with “In Retreat,” producer Thanikachalam S.A. is backing “Kurinji (The Disappearing Flower)” from debut feature director Payal Sethi at India’s Film Bazaar co-production market.

Sethi’s previous work includes the award-winning shorts “Leeches” (2016), which won the Grand Prix Internationale at Brussels Short Film Festival, and “Grant St.

Shaving Co.” (2010). She studied at Vassar College and Tisch School of the Arts, and worked with Mira Nair on films including “Monsoon Wedding” and “The Namesake.” The film follows Laly, a Kerala housewife whose migrant worker husband in the Gulf region suddenly stops calling home after years of separation.

When a money-lender appears demanding repayment of an unknown debt, she embarks on a search for answers with help from an unexpected quarter – her lover who happens to be her husband’s brother-in-law. “It feels like a very fun film to do, about a serious topic, and with an as-yet-untold story,” Thanikachalam tells Variety.