Earlier this week, the UK Asian Film Festival brought down the curtain on their 25th edition. Sanaa, the festival’s opening film that was screened at BFI Southbank in London, bagged two awards. While Radhika Madan was adjudged the Best Actor, Sudhanshu Saria walked away with the Best Director award.

Saria believes the Madan, Pooja Bhatt, and Sohum Shah-starrer is an important story that should reach a wide audience. In telling the story of a 28-year-old ambitious woman working in Mumbai, the movie addresses the subject of mental health and the lasting impact of unresolved trauma.

“Sanaa is truly a personal journey for me. To see it connect so deeply with the audience has been rewarding,” says the filmmaker, whose short film Knock Knock Knock won the National Award in 2021.

Madan, who counts Sanaa as one of her most powerful offerings, is thrilled that the audience and jury recognized its potential. The actor shares, “The audience’s reactions, their warm hugs and the tears we shared [after the screening] were also an award for me. Sudhanshu had so much belief in me. He empowered me and gave me so much love that I had no option but to love myself.”