"Rehmat," a new film by director Gurvinder Singh starring actor Naseeruddin Shah, is competing at the Locarno Film Festival as the sole Indian feature in the main competition section. Adapted from short stories by Punjabi author Ajeet Cour, the film weaves together three narratives set in present-day Punjab that examine themes of displacement and inherited sorrow. Shah plays Rashid Ali, a man of Punjabi Muslim heritage who returns to his birthplace after spending his lifetime in England.

Singh's connection to the material stems from his family's own migration history during Partition, and he describes the project as offering him artistic closure regarding the regional turmoil and anti-Sikh violence he witnessed. The film acquired additional emotional layers when a family whose home served as a filming location lost their 19-year-old son to a drug overdose shortly after the production team's initial visit, an event Singh felt compelled to authentically represent in the narrative. Shah had committed to the role based on his admiration for Singh's previous cinematic work, and their collaboration proved so intuitive that Singh found himself primarily observing rather than directing the accomplished performer.