Indian actress Chhaya Kadam brings raw emotion, fearless honesty, and Konkan soil to Cannes with Snow Flower, presented at the Marché du Film.
“I don’t have a list of film roles. I want to do something different,” says Chhaya Kadam, actor. Chhaya Kadam is back to Cannes; this year she is here with a film, Snow Flower, directed by Gajendra Ahire for Maharashtra’s showcase at the Marché du Film, an integral part of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, South of France.
For Chhaya, finding “different” isn’t code for flashy or experimental, but it’s about nuance. “Even in the simplest role, there’s a chance to find something new.”
Though Chhaya is often photographed for her fashion and style statement, her screen presence is raw, real, and deeply rooted in soil—often the red earth of Konkan, the coastal Maharashtra region she carries with her, no matter where the script takes her.
We caught up with her, wearing a neon pink, fuchsia-coloured saree and enjoying the breezy weather in Cannes, to talk about an emotional honesty that refuses to be typecast.
Speaking in a mix of Hindi and Marathi, Chhaya Kadam admits with a laugh that she wasn’t made for the cold while shooting for the first time in a cold country like Siberia for the film Snow Flower. “I have sinus issues. I can’t even bear the AC in the car. So everyone around me was shocked when I agreed to shoot in Siberia.” But when Snow Flower director Gajendra Ahire approached her, she didn’t hesitate. “I have wanted to work with Gajendra for a long time. When I began in this industry, I wanted my work to reach him. This film felt like destiny.”
In Snow Flower, Kadam plays Nanda, a grandmother navigating the emotional terrain of memory and migration. She is not yet a grandmother in real life, she says, but that didn’t matter. “If you can stand in the place of the character, things become very easy,” she says simply. And with child actor Manva playing opposite her, the chemistry on screen was built on letting go of ego and immersing in the moment. “Working with children teaches you humility. You follow their mood. That’s something I learnt from Gajendra. Don’t think about yourself, think about your co-actors.”
The cold wasn’t the only challenge. This was Chhaya’s first trip abroad, a personal milestone as much as a professional one. “I was scared of the cold, of flying alone, of speaking English. I was scared of everything,” she confesses. “But once I reached there, I never had to stop a single shot. I didn’t even feel the cold. That’s the magic of cinema.”
Known for her powerful portrayals in regional and independent films, including Sister Midnight and Payal Kapadia’s Cannes-winning All We Imagine As Light, Kadam is often slotted into “mother” or “Marathi woman” roles. Does she worry about being typecast? She shrugs. “I love to work. Even if I’ve played ten mothers, each one is different. A mother is not just a costume—it’s her history, heartbreak, and resilience.”
Recently, she stepped into the producer role, almost by accident. “During the COVID lockdown, we worked on a film with young director Karan Chavan from Kolhapur. The team was so good, I felt like I had to support it. So I became a producer.” She has no strategic plans to produce again but remains open to collaboration if the story calls for it.
Kadam is refreshingly unconcerned about future roles. What’s striking about Chhaya Kadam is her fierce loyalty to characters, collaborators, and craft. She doesn’t chase stardom. She may play women from forgotten geographies or speak languages rarely heard in mainstream cinema, but she brings them to the forefront with empathy and grit.
Our reporters are on the ground in Cannes, France, to bring you exclusive content from the 78th Cannes Film Festival—explore our coverage here.
