Gurvinder Singh’s Rehmat, starring Naseeruddin Shah, has been selected for the main competition at the 79th Locarno International Film Festival, marking India’s sole entry in the section this year.
The film will compete for the Pardo d’Oro (Golden Leopard) in the Concorso Internazionale section. It is also among 13 films nominated for the festival’s Pardo for Change award, which honours works exploring environmental, ethical, social and cultural issues.
Rehmat is based on short stories by veteran Punjabi writer Ajeet Cour and also stars Suvinder Vicky, Mita Vashisht and Navjot Randhawa. The film follows three interconnected stories set in present-day Punjab – a woman who secretly shelters a wounded stranger, his grieving family navigating difficult choices, and a mysterious elderly man who arrives in a village claiming to be God.
The synopsis on IMDb reads, “Follows three interconnected stories in present-day Punjab: a woman hiding a wounded stranger from police, a family coping with a disappearance, and an elderly man who returns from England claiming to be God.”
Reacting to the selection, Singh said that it reaffirmed his belief in a cinema that prioritises reflection over spectacle. “The selection at Locarno reaffirms my faith that a certain kind of cinema still has relevance in this largely market-driven world with shrinking attention spans,” he said, as quoted by Telegraph India.
“Cinema as a reflective and conflicting space where meaning takes shape not in an arousing outer layer, but quietly peeling away into the innards of time and tragedy, between continuity and change,” he added.
An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India, Singh made his feature directorial debut with Anhey Ghorhey Da Daan, which premiered in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival and went on to win three National Film Awards.
Diya Kamboj, Harwinder Aujla and Jaswant Zafar round off the film’s cast. Ajeet Cour and her daughter, artist Arpana Caur, have jointly produced the film.
The film is set to have its world premiere on August 6, 2026, during the opening days of the 79th Locarno Film Festival, which runs from August 5 to 15 in Switzerland.
Also Read: Naseeruddin Shah joins Dhanush and Mammootty’s Om, returns to Tamil cinema after 26 years
BOLLYWOOD NEWS - LIVE UPDATES
Catch us for latest Bollywood News, New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection, New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood Live News Today & Upcoming Movies 2026 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.