A new voice in filmmaking is making its debut, with Anurag Kashyap backing the journey. The acclaimed filmmaker has joined as presenter for Anuparna Roy’s feature directorial debut, Songs of Forgotten Trees, which is set to premiere at the 82nd Venice Film Festival.
Anurag Kashyap presents Songs of Forgotten Trees, India’s Lone Venice 2025 entry
The human drama is the only Indian film to be selected for the esteemed Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival. Known for spotlighting fresh and distinctive voices in cinema, the section has previously featured notable titles like Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court and Karan Tejpal’s Stolen, which recently premiered on Prime Video.
Starring Naaz Shaikh and Sumi Baghel, Songs of Forgotten Treesis produced by Bibhanshu Rai, Romil Modi and Ranjan Singh and follows the story of two women and how their lives get intertwined in Mumbai.
According to the official synopsis, the film follows the story of Thooya, a migrant and aspiring actress, who survives the city by leveraging beauty and wit, occasionally trading intimacy for opportunity. When she sublets her sugar daddy’s upscale apartment to Swetha, a fellow migrant working a corporate job, the two women—seemingly from different worlds— begin to share more than just a space. Amid the relentless pulse of Mumbai, they discover a silent empathy. But as personal histories, desires, and wounds resurface, their delicate connection is tested. What follows is not a rupture, but a strange and tender unfolding—of selfhood, of survival, of unexpected kinship.
“I have always believed in backing new talent, especially those who want to say something different, challenge the set norms by their ideas and beliefs,” Anurag said in a statement about why he decided to present the feature.
“Ranjan and I have been associated with multiple such films over the years, and it’s amazing to see such raw talent continuously coming up. Anuparna is definitely one such voice and we feel proud and happy to back her first feature,” said Anurag, whose own feature film ‘Bandar’, starring Bobby Deol and Sanya Malhotra, will have its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival.
Director Anuparna Roy, who initially self-funded Songs of Forgotten Trees while juggling three corporate jobs in Mumbai, said she is drawn to stories that the mainstream “continues to ignore.”
“Despite having one of the largest film industries in the world by volume, we rarely tell stories of the marginalized—of those excluded by class, caste, and gender. I want to change that. I want to speak of the miseries I’ve witnessed and lived through, not just as an Indian but as a global citizen. I believe that telling these stories might give voice to the unheard, offer solace to some, and perhaps even inspire others. My search for this story began with the search for my childhood friend, Jhuma Nath, whose child marriage was carried out under a man-made social order and a failed government scheme. This film carries her memories,” she added.
Ranjan Singh of Flip Films called Anuparna a “unique voice,” which compelled him to back the feature. “I had seen her short (‘Run to the River’) and I remembered one line pitch to me at a film pitch event, and that stayed with me for the longest time. I am happy that her debut film is premiering at Venice, and I am confident that it’ll definitely make a mark on the audience worldwide and in India as well.”
Songs of Forgotten Trees is co-produced by Navin Shetty and Anuparna Roy.
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