She got rejected at auditions for years. Now she is pitching films at Cannes 2026.
The 2026 edition of the Cannes Film Festival has once again become a space where new voices from India are finding global attention. Alongside red carpet premieres, independent filmmakers are also pitching stories and building global networks.
One of them is Molshri, an actor and filmmaker from Kota, Rajasthan, who moved from theatre and classrooms to Mumbai’s film industry.
She spoke to Brut about her journey, debut film and the struggles of finding space in the industry.
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The Kota Girl Who Did Not Have A Backup Plan
Molshri says she grew up in Kota as an academic student who was “top of the class”. But outside studies, she was drawn towards creative work. She wanted to play guitar, write and explore photography.
Things changed when she moved to Delhi University to study English Literature. That was where she discovered theatre.
According to her, theatre completely shifted the direction of her life. Acting became something she wanted to pursue seriously, even though she did not yet know how the industry worked.
After college, she moved to Mumbai without a backup plan.
Her parents were worried because she was not pursuing a master’s degree or a stable career path. But she still took the leap and began assisting in direction and writing departments while trying to understand the film industry.
Soon, she realised she wanted to focus on acting instead.
“I Was Giving Auditions And Not Getting Selected”
One of the strongest parts of Molshri’s Cannes interview was her honesty about auditions.
She spoke openly about going from office to office, trying to get noticed and repeatedly facing rejection.
“I was giving auditions and not getting selected at all,” she said. “I couldn’t understand, ‘Is there something wrong with me?’”
She explained how difficult it was even to access auditions because the “main casting” was often already done before open calls happened.
Instead of waiting endlessly, she decided to create work for herself.
That decision changed everything.
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How ‘Nukkad Natak’ Happened
Molshri teamed up with writer-director Tanmay after both realised they could not keep waiting for opportunities from others.
Together, they started building their own independent film.
That project became Nukkad Natak.
The film was made on a small budget, but Molshri says making the film was only half the battle. The bigger challenge was distribution.
After struggling to find buyers and platforms, the team decided to take the film directly to audiences themselves.
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The DIY Film Release That Took Them Across India
Instead of relying only on studios or distributors, the team created a social media series called How To Enter Bollywood. Through the videos, they shared the realities of auditions, filmmaking and surviving as independent artists.
The content connected with young aspiring creators online.
Then they took Nukkad Natak across India themselves.
Molshri said they travelled city to city, screening the film in schools, colleges, NGOs and local spaces while directly interacting with audiences.
Months later, the film landed on Netflix.
For Molshri, that moment felt surreal.
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From Independent Filmmaker To Cannes
At Cannes 2026, Molshri attended through Women in Film India’s producer programme.
She described the experience as unbelievable, especially as someone who came from a small town and once doubted whether she even belonged in the industry.
Now, she is pitching her next project while also continuing her acting career.
She also said Cannes opened her eyes to how global the struggle around film distribution really is. According to her, filmmakers in North America and Europe are dealing with similar challenges around getting films seen.
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The Roles She Wants To Play Next
Molshri says she wants to explore every kind of role, from action films to women-led stories and even period dramas.
She specifically mentioned Alia Bhatt as an inspiration.
For her, films like Gangubai Kathiawadi and Raazi proved that women-led films can become mainstream successes without reducing female characters to side roles.
She says that is the space she hopes to grow into as an actor.
At the same time, she remains realistic about where she is in her career.
“This is just my first film,” she said during the interview. “You’re about to watch a lot more.”
