Rehmat

About the film

Rehmat is an upcoming Punjabi-language drama film written and directed by Gurvinder Singh, and based on the short stories by Ajeet Cour. A co-production between India and France, it stars Naseeruddin Shah as Rashid Ali, and follows unfolds three interconnected stories.

The film will have its world premiere at the main competition of the 79th Locarno Film Festival on 6 August 2026, where it will compete for the Golden Leopard.

Synopsis

Set in present-day Punjab, the film interweaves three narrative strands. One follows a young woman who shelters and tends to an injured man while hiding him from the authorities. Another centers on a household marked by the disappearance of the father and children growing up without him and an elderly grandfather compelled to resume the role of family head. The third story introduces an old man who arrives in a village claiming 'to be God'. Naseeruddin Shah portrays Rashid Ali, whose family left Punjab just before the 1947 Partition reshaped the region’s borders; after decades in England, he returns to the village of his birth, confronting memory, belonging, and the splinters of history.

Production

The title "Rehmat" holds particular meaning for director Gurvinder Singh. The term, shared across Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Punjabi, is commonly understood as compassion, yet Singh has observed that it suggests something broader—a historical circulation of ideas, beliefs, and cultural forms that have shaped Punjab's identity through centuries of Sufi movement, migration, and upheaval. As he explains, "'Rehmat' portrays how people in a culturally and religiously diverse land navigate life, dealing with divisive political forces, yet retaining hope and compassion." The screenplay of the film is adapted by the director from short stories by Ajeet Cour. The ensemble cast includes Suvinder Vicky, Mita Vashisht, Diya Kamboj, Navjot Randhawa and the Punjabi poet Jaswant Zafar, marking his screen debut in the role of Harjap, the aging patriarch. The film is co-produced by Vahao Studio and the Paris-based production company Pavo Films.

Release

Rehmat will have its World Premiere at the 79th Locarno Film Festival on 6 August 2026, and competes for Golden Leopard.

Key details