Every child deserves peace, freedom, liberation, Palestine no exception: Anuparna Roy at VFM
Roy became first Indian to win Best Director at Venice’s International Film Festival
New Delhi / Venice: Indian debut filmmaker Anuparna Roy has made history at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, becoming the first Indian to win the Best Director award in the Orizzonti (Horizons) section. She received the honour for her feature film Songs of Forgotten Trees, which stood as the only Indian entry in this prestigious category this year.
Roy received the award at the festival’s closing ceremony, where the jury was headed by French director Julia Ducournau. Dressed in a white saree, she described the moment as “surreal” and extended heartfelt thanks to the jury, cast, crew, producers, and Anurag Kashyap, the film’s presenter.
While accepting the award, Roy addressed the ongoing Gaza conflict, stating: “Every child deserves peace, freedom, and liberation, and Palestine is no exception. It is a responsibility to think for a moment and stand beside Palestine. I might upset my country but it doesn’t matter to me anymore”. Her remarks immediately sparked debate and discussion on social media.
Songs of Forgotten Trees weaves the story of two migrant women living in Mumbai—Thooya, an aspirant actress, and Swetha, a corporate professional—who form a connection despite their different paths. The film, backed by Anurag Kashyap, was directed by Roy and features performances by Naaz Shaikh and Sumi Baghel and explores themes of urban loneliness, resilience, and shared humanity.
Multiple Indian and international outlets have hailed the victory as a significant milestone for Indian cinema, placing a spotlight on indie filmmaking in the global arena. Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra also took to social media to laud Roy’s achievement, noting its importance for women filmmakers and Indian storytelling worldwide.
"It is a responsibility to think for a moment and stand beside Palestine. I might upset my country but it doesn't matter anymore," says Indian filmmaker Anuparna Roy after winning Best Director award in the Orizzonti section at Venice Film Festival. pic.twitter.com/u3CJLxKQhK
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Traffic chaos on Mumbai-Pune Expressway after tanker overturns; passengers stuck for hours
Mumbai (PTI): Traffic was paralysed overnight on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway after a gas tanker overturned in the Khandala Ghat section, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded and causing massive congestion on both carriageways, officials said on Wednesday.
Vehicles remained stationary near the accident site for several hours amid the traffic chaos stretching for over 12 hours, leaving passengers, including women and children, without food, water, and toilet facilities.
The highway traffic police have appealed to motorists to avoid travelling on the expressway as far as possible until normal traffic movement is restored.
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is India's first 6-lane wide concrete, access-controlled tolled expressway. It spans a distance of 94.5 km connecting Mumbai, Raigad and Navi Mumbai with Pune.
According to the expressway control room, the gas tanker overturned on the highway at around 5 pm on Tuesday.
The incident occurred near the Adoshi tunnel in Raigad district when the tanker, allegedly travelling at high speed, lost control due to the slope and overturned. Soon after the accident, gas was found leaking from the tanker, causing panic among motorists, an official said.
The tanker was carrying propylene gas, which is highly flammable. As a precautionary measure, the police immediately closed traffic towards Mumbai to prevent any untoward incident.
The Mumbai-bound traffic was diverted onto the Pune-bound carriageway for about a 2-km stretch due to the accident.
However, normal movement could not be restored due to a continuous gas leak from the tanker, resulting in long queues and crawling traffic even for Pune-bound motorists, an official at the expressway control room said.
The impact was severe on motorists, with several passengers stranded for hours.
"People have been stuck and desperately waiting for help. Please do something," wrote X user VyasKarn.
A conductor of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus told PTI around midnight that their vehicle had been stationary for over six hours near the accident site, leaving passengers without food, water and toilet facilities.
Many motorists voiced their frustration on social media, with some describing the expressway as a "parking lot" and advising others to avoid travel unless necessary.
"Mumbai-Pune Expressway is a literal parking lot right now. Traffic crawling for hours near Lonavala and Khandala due to a truck overturn. If you absolutely don't have to travel, don't," wrote X user pranav_72.
The Pune-bound motorists were also inconvenienced due to the traffic snarls.
"Started my journey from Andheri West around 7 pm via cab. Will be reaching Pune around 3.40 am. Worst traffic experience I ever had," another X user, Sohit Manik, wrote.
The Maharashtra Highway Traffic Police have advised motorists to avoid the Mumbai–Pune Expressway until regular traffic movement is restored.
The tanker overturned in the Khandala Ghat section on the Mumbai-bound corridor near the Adoshi tunnel, as per a statement of the highway traffic police shared by a spokesperson of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).
A highly flammable gas leaked from the tanker after the accident, and all agencies concerned were working at the site on a war footing to contain the situation, it said.
The Mumbai-bound carriageway was closed in the interest of vehicle and commuter safety, leading to traffic congestion on both the Mumbai and Pune-bound lanes of the expressway, the statement added.
