Ali Fazal Lauds Richa Chadha's Hard Decision To Leave Daughter Behind As Girls Will Be Girls Bags John Cassavetes Award

Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal, who turned producers, saw their first production, Girls Will Be Girls, win the prestigious John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards. Shuchi Talati directed the coming-of-age drama, which delves into the journey of a teenage girl at a Himalayan boarding school, whose desires and passions are intertwined with her mother's. The compelling narrative not only made an impact in India but also left a significant mark on the global stage. Following this major achievement, Ali Fazal, who couldn’t attend the event with his wife and team, penned an appreciation post on social media. He praised Richa for making the difficult decision to leave their daughter for the first time to witness this victory.

Talking to Instagram, Ali Fazal shared a video message praising the Girls Will Be Girls team and his wife, Richa Chadha, after the win at the Independent Spirit Awards. Along with the post, he wrote, "GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS wins the prestigious John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards @filmindependent!! From winning at Sundance to closing the journey with this incredible honor—it’s been nothing short of extraordinary. This is how I’m feeling right now (excuse the allergies and sinus season). I know how tough it was for you, @therichachadha, to leave our little girl behind and travel. I’ll just say ‘L’Oréal’ and ‘Tuh.’"

Further sharing his excitement about this monumental moment for Indian cinema, the Fukrey actor added, “The girls are bringing home the trophies, and my heart swells with pride for being part of this beautiful journey alongside our incredible collaborators. This is a monumental moment not just for Girls Will Be Girls, but for Indian cinema as a whole. From Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light to Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies, and from Anuja’s brilliance to Baksho Bondi’s impact—independent cinema is finally having its moment. Maybe not today, but one day, when enough milestones stack up, the world will look back and say, ‘Hey, they had it all along.’”

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ali fazal (@alifazal9)

After the win, Richa also expressed her feeling on her Instagram handle. Sharing the video of her with Girls Will Be Girls creator from the award night, she wrote, "Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we would be on stage receiving an award for our humble @girlswillbegirls_themovie from @nlyonne and @pattilupone.
I look gobsmacked because I AM! We were told our speech looked like comedy routine...purely unintentional."

She continued, "The award is named after the legend John Cassevettes - who started out as an actor, later directed several indies ...which were often self financed. The movie business is like gambling... And luck doesn't always favour the brave. Cassevettes passed away after several tears of heavy drinking from liver cirrhosis. His story is both inspirational and a cautionary tale...This award is given to the creative team behind a film, (made for under a million dollars)... which means it's really for the team. I can't always tag everyone but here...this is one is for us all. Thank you for working on this film, I know we couldn't offer you any luxury but hopefully y'all were comfortable."

Each year, the John Cassavetes Award is presented to a film made on a budget of less than USD 1 million. Girls Will Be Girls is the first Indian film to win the award and was one of the celebrated winners at the award night, alongside other winners like Anora and Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain.