REHMAT

( 2026 )

Official Selection Out of Competition, Cinema for Humanity |

India

France

Punjabi |

157 min

About the film

Adapting four stories by Ajeet Cour, this measured, observant film follows interconnected lives—from a grieving woman harbouring a fugitive to an exiled traveller returning home—proving deep historical wounds are healed by radical human compassion. Following its critical and public acclaim at its world premiere at the Locarno International Film Festival, Gurvinder Singh’s Rahmat confronts the historical traumas of the 1947 Partition and 1980s insurgency in Punjab.

Director

Gurvinder Singh

Gurvinder Singh is an alumnus of FTII, Pune (2001). His cinematic vision was deeply shaped by his mentorship under master filmmaker Mani Kaul, whose conversations he later published as Uncloven Space. His acclaimed debut Alms for the Blind Horse (2011) premiered at Venice Orizzonti and won several Awards, including the Black Pearl Award at Abu Dhabi and Golden Peacock at IFFI, Goa. His follow-up Fourth Direction (2015) premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes. A major voice in independent cinema, his filmography includes Bitter Chestnut (2019) Crescent Night (2022), Trolley Times (2023), and his latest feature Rehmat (2026), which premiered at Locarno.

Producer

Arpana Caur, Gurvinder Singh, Cosmin Illes, Némésis Srour

Production Company

Screenplay

Gurvinder Singh (Based on the stories by – Ajeet Cour)

Cinematography

Shashank Walia

Editing

Dupinder Kaur

Sound

Vinod Kumar Ram, Aparajita Sen

Cast

Naseeruddin Shah, Suvinder Vicky, Diya Kamboj, Mita Vasisht, Harwinder Aujla, Jaswant Zafar, Anita Meet, Navjot Randhawa

Contacts

International Sales: Vahao Studio, India, vahaostudio@gmail.com

Producer

Arpana Caur, Gurvinder Singh, Cosmin Illes, Némésis Srour

Production Company

Screenplay

Gurvinder Singh (Based on the stories by – Ajeet Cour)

Cinematography

Shashank Walia

Editing

Dupinder Kaur

Sound

Vinod Kumar Ram, Aparajita Sen

Cast

Naseeruddin Shah, Suvinder Vicky, Diya Kamboj, Mita Vasisht, Harwinder Aujla, Jaswant Zafar, Anita Meet, Navjot Randhawa

Contacts

International Sales: Vahao Studio, India, vahaostudio@gmail.com

More About Film

Rehmat adapts four stories by Ajeet Cour to map the unresolved historical traumas of Partition and the 1980s insurgency in Punjab. This measured, observant work weaves three intertwined lives: a grieving Hindu woman sheltering a fugitive Sikh militant, anxious parents awaiting their underground son, and an elderly Muslim migrant returning from exile. Through real-life casting and architectural history, the film portrays how people in a culturally and religiously diverse land navigate life. “In a region marked by political and religious conflict, Rehmat depicts the lives of people caught up in forces seeking to divide them. Against all odds, they go about their lives with hope and compassion.” Gurvinder Singh

Producer

Arpana Caur, Gurvinder Singh, Cosmin Illes, Némésis Srour

Screenplay

Gurvinder Singh (Based on the stories by - Ajeet Cour)

Cinematography

Shashank Walia

Editing

Dupinder Kaur

Sound

Vinod Kumar Ram, Aparajita Sen

Cast

Naseeruddin Shah, Suvinder Vicky, Diya Kamboj, Mita Vasisht, Harwinder Aujla, Jaswant Zafar, Anita Meet, Navjot Randhawa

Contact

International Sales: Vahao Studio, India, vahaostudio@gmail.com

More About Film

Rehmat adapts four stories by Ajeet Cour to map the unresolved historical traumas of Partition and the 1980s insurgency in Punjab. This measured, observant work weaves three intertwined lives: a grieving Hindu woman sheltering a fugitive Sikh militant, anxious parents awaiting their underground son, and an elderly Muslim migrant returning from exile. Through real-life casting and architectural history, the film portrays how people in a culturally and religiously diverse land navigate life. "In a region marked by political and religious conflict, Rehmat depicts the lives of people caught up in forces seeking to divide them. Against all odds, they go about their lives with hope and compassion." Gurvinder Singh