Women Producers Debut in Panjabi Cinema; Panjabi Films Premiere in Int’l Fests

October

2026

Jalandhar-based Ishita Bhardwaj and Anuja Sharma have taken a leap into film production with their debut Panjabi short film, ‘Din Te Raat’ (Day & Night). The film is set to release on the online platform Chaupal on 5 Oct. Bhardwaj and Sharma are among the few independent women producers associated with Panjabi cinema, and their entry into the male-dominated field is focused on bringing fresh stories, new talent and original scripts to the industry. ‘Din Te Raat’ was screened at a private event in September and received encouraging responses from the audience and the film fraternity. The project has also received appreciation from the Punjab Film and TV Actors Association, giving the producers a shot in the arm ahead of the film’s digital release. Furthermore, ‘Hanere De Panchi’ (Birds in the Dark), a narrative Panjabi film, will have its world premiere in the Vision section of the 31^st Busan International Film Festival 6–15 Oct. Written, cinematographed, and directed by Shashank Walia, the film is shot in black and white, and tells the story of a disillusioned police informer and a man he once wrongly captured. The protagonists find their way back to each other in a caste-divided village, where a landless woman's fight for land unsettles the old order and pulls their lives into a struggle of desire, solidarity, and resistance. Reema Kaur (of the production house Two Black Squares), Hansal Mehta and Sahil Saigal (of True Story Films) produced the film. Shashank says, ‘’Birds in the Dark’ emerges from the people and returns to them. This film was born from a desire to understand one another through mutual aid, care, and solidarity. It is in these acts that we discover what connects us, what is worth fighting for, and, ultimately, what sustains us: love.’ Additionally, national award-winning director Gurvinder Singh’s film ‘Rehmat’ is set to have its India premiere at the Dharamshala International Film Festival 29–31 Oct. ‘Rehmat’, which premiered in the main competition at the Locarno Film Festival 2026, stars Naseeruddin Shah, Suvinder Vicky, Mita Vashisht, among others. Connecting three short stories by the Panjabi writer Ajeet Cour, ‘Rehmat’ is about Panjab’s generosity, even in the face of unspeakable trauma. Having made earlier films on militancy, class, and caste conflicts, Gurvinder’s latest film might be his least political work to date (earlier coverage).