Cannes 2026: Anupria Goenka Promotes Bombay Stories At The Marche Du Film During Cannes Film Festival 2026

Anupria Goenka is currently at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival 2026 to promote her film Bombay Stories, which is being showcased at the prestigious Marche du Film (Cannes Film Market). Directed by Rahhat Shah Kazmi, the film is based on Saadat Hasan Manto's Hatak, a part of his seminal collection of short stories of the same name. The project marks Anupria's first independent film. The film explores the lives of sex workers through a satirical lens and also features Mouni Roy and Sushmita Singh.

Talking about the film, Anupria says, "I have always wanted to do independent cinema and am so glad I am portraying a character written by Manto in my first. Hatak means insult and my story is about Saugandhi's journey navigating her own self through society's scrutiny towards her." Elaborating on the character, she adds, "Saugandhi, being a sex worker, has resigned to that life. But she craves love, appreciation, and the feeling of being made to feel like a woman by a man, and not just treated like a sexual object. I found so much of me in her and explored so many other shades of myself as a woman through Saugandhi."

Being at Cannes comes with a sense of gratitude and responsibility for Anupria, something she openly acknowledges. "My belief is that as long as someone wants to sell their body and has the agency to do that, it's absolutely their choice. It's like any other profession. It becomes a sin and is abhorrent when one is forced into the system against their choice, when they don't have any legal rights or are dehumanized and looked upon like an object. This then needs to be stopped at all costs. It also takes away the respect that the profession deserves, and through the film, the team wants to shed light on the discrimination sex workers face and mirror the reality of society," she shares, adding, "We hope that the message gets across to everyone who watches the film."