Sayani Gupta’s debut directorial venture, the short film Aasmani, has hit an unexpected roadblock following the withdrawal of its screening invitation from the Indian Film Festival of New Zealand. Festival director Petrina D’Rozario confirmed the precautionary move, stating that the platform chose to step back to uphold its organizational integrity once credible copyright and confidentiality concerns were formally raised by a fellow filmmaker. While clarifying that the festival’s decision does not reflect a legal finding on the dispute’s actual merits, festival organizers maintained that pausing the screening was the most responsible course of action while formal proceedings remain active.
Breaking her silence, the actor-turned-director firmly denied the allegations, defending the narrative as an entirely original work inspired by her Bengali heritage and her late grandmother’s philosophical influence. The heartwarming short-fiction comedy, which stars veteran actor Revathy alongside Daria Bedi and Abhay Kaul, centers on the bond between a witty grandmother, her cheeky granddaughter, and their powder-blue car. Gupta expressed disappointment over the assumptions made by an FTII filmmaker regarding an unfinished documentary project, emphasizing that copyright law protects specific creative expressions rather than broad themes or shared emotional concepts.
Addressing the dispute head-on, Gupta reaffirmed her trust in due process over public speculation, explaining that her initial silence was intended to respect legal channels rather than signal guilt. As an independent artist co-producing under her own banner alongside Nikkhi Advani, Dia Mirza, and Ananya Rane, she stressed that freedom of artistic expression remains paramount. Confident that time and official proceedings will clear the film’s name, Gupta remains steadfast that the personal homage to the resilient women in her life will ultimately speak for itself. Stay tuned to know more about it and others only with us and if you have anything to share or say do comment your thoughts below.
