Chhaya Kadam on her role in All We Imagine As Light: ‘Mere se accha koi kar nahi Payega’

In an interview with Film Companion, Chhaya Kadam who played the character of Manju Mai in Laapataa Ladies and also played a pivotal role in All We Imagine As Light spoke about how confident she was, playing both the characters in the respective films.

“Payal wala toh mene bol diya tha, mere se accha koi kar nahi payega, lekin manju mai ka na shuru mein mujhe laga tha ki leheja ki wajahse mujhe khud ko laga tha ki shayad ye log aur kuch logon se milenge aur phir cast kisi already jo waha ka leheja aa raha hai unhi mein se kisiko cast karenge aise mujhe laga tha aur mujhe khud ko aise huva ki yaar mein karungi.” (For Payal I already told that no one could do it better than me but for Manju Mai, initially I thought that because of a certain dialect expected from the character, I would be rejected and these people will look out for several actors and cast someone else for the role and that made me think that I can do it.)

Kadam has worked in several Marathi movies and was also seen in Kunal Kemmu’s directorial debut Madgaon Express. The actress made her Cannes debut this year with her film All We Imagine As Light directed by Payal Kapadia that won the Grand Prix Award at the Cannes Film Festival 2024.