Tillotama Shome wins best actor for Shadowbox (Baksho Bondi) as the Film Triumphs Globally

Indian film Shadowbox shines at IFFSA Toronto and El Gouna

With praise at some of the most prominent film festivals of the year, the Indian film Shadowbox (Baksho Bondi) is making waves all over the world.

The film, which stars the talented Tillotama Shome, has received accolades for its poignant performances and profoundly poignant narrative.

Shome's delicate depiction of Maya won her the Best Actor (Female) Award at the International Film Festival of South Asia (IFFSA) in Toronto, while filmmakers Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi received the Best Director (International Feature) award.

The movie's success didn't end there; at the El Gouna Film Festival, it won the NETPAC Award for Best Narrative Feature, solidifying its place among India's most captivating indie productions this year.

Reflecting on the recognition, co-director Tanushree Das shared, “Shadowbox is a story of quiet rebellion. It is, at its heart, a love story set against considerable odds – humiliation, being ostracised for marrying outside the community, and the taboo of suffering mental distress. It is also, very simply, the everyday fight of a working woman trying to hold her family together. The film’s recognition at such prestigious festivals is an immense honour, and it is very heartening that a story so personal and rooted in my culture has found resonance with audiences around the world.”

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Co-director Saumyananda Sahi added, “The making of Shadowbox (Baksho Bondi) has been a close collaboration of many years. These wins are collective wins, which we celebrate with our cast, crew and family of producers. We are deeply grateful to the esteemed jury of IFFSA Toronto and the NETPAC jury of El Gouna Film Festival, as well as the organisers of both festivals, for giving us this recognition.”

Shome, clearly overjoyed, said, “It is a very comforting feeling to win for a film, whose makers won your heart from the very first interaction. The process of making this film was such a joy and to receive this vote of confidence from the esteemed jury members, is a massive bonus. It is a huge encouragement to follow one’s heart and travel the long road with those that inspire you. I am really overjoyed that Tanushree and Saumyananda won the best Director prize because their directions, both on and off set, were deeply humane while being creatively charged.”

Set against the backdrop of a dusty Kolkata suburb, Shadowbox tells the story of Maya, a resilient working mother whose life is turned upside down when her husband, a retired soldier battling PTSD, becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation.

Forced to navigate extraordinary circumstances, she and her teenage son fight to protect their family.

Sayan Karmakar plays Debu, Suman Saha plays Constable Ripon, and Chandan Bisht plays Sundar.

With Das serving as editor and Sahi serving as both screenwriter and cinematographer, the two have created a story that is sensitive, powerful, and profoundly real, honouring women's quiet strength and the ties that bind families together.