FilmKaravan, Eastern Eagle Production and Blue Monday Productions to Produce Kurinji, Winner of the Berlinale Talents Kompagnon Fellowship and NFDC Film Bazaar Co-Production Award

Mumbai: The project was presented at Berlinale Talents Script Station and subsequently received the Kompagnon Fellowship from Perspektive Deutsches Kino and Berlinale Talents (2022), before securing First Place at the NFDC Film Bazaar Co-Production Market (2024) in Goa.
‘Kurinji’ follows Laly, a wife and mother in Kerala whose husband works in the Gulf and suddenly stops calling and sending money after twelve years. Laly turns to a local television programme that helps trace missing migrant workers. In her search for him, she uncovers his hidden life abroad. Caught between an uncertain future and a missing husband, she is forced to imagine a different life for herself.
Named after the Kurinji flower that blooms once every twelve years in the Nilgiris, the film reflects cycles of waiting, endurance, and change.
French producer Nathalie Mesuret of Blue Monday Productions (Ari, dir. Léonor Serraille, Berlinale Competition 2025), discovered Kurinji at NFDC’s Goa Film Bazaar and boarded the project there, drawn into the authenticity of the story and Payal’s original portrait of a contemporary Indian woman.
The film also attracted strong interest from Daniel Tenné of German production company 70 Steps, and are in negotiations to board the project, further expanding its international collaborations.

Payal Sethi: “I was aware of stories of men who migrate, but I noticed almost nothing was said about the women left behind — women living in a kind of emotional exile, holding their homes together in their husbands’ absence. ‘Kurinji’ grew from a desire to tell this story from the woman’s perspective.

The film captures Laly as she evolves through the repetitions of daily life. Her awakening is quiet, but it changes everything around her. Through her journey, I also question the belief that the economic benefits of migration outweigh its personal cost.”

Sonali Bawa, Producer at FilmKaravan says : “After producing the International Emmy– winning Delhi Crime, which explored the contemporary reality of women in India, Kurinji felt like a natural fit for us. Though rooted in Kerala, the film speaks across borders through its authentic and moving portrayal of families shaped by migration as an emotional experience. Supporting Payal and her story felt like a natural move, allowing us to champion her strong artistic voice and bring meaningful narratives to the screen since we produced her short films ‘Grant St. Shaving Co.’ (2010) and ‘Leeches’ (2016), both of which enjoyed successful festival runs. ”