Ali Fazal On Richa Chadha Leaving Daughter Behind: 'I Know How Hard It Was' As Girls Will Be Girls Wins Big
Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s Girls Will Be Girls has made history by winning the prestigious John Cassavetes Award at the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s production Girls Will Be Girls has once again made India proud on the global stage. The film created history by winning the prestigious John Cassavetes Award at the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards. This remarkable achievement marks the first time an Indian film has been honored with this coveted award. Ali Fazal took to Instagram to express his joy and also applauded Richa for her strength in leaving their daughter for the first time to attend the event.
Sharing his excitement on Instagram, Ali 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’."
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He continued, “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.’"
The John Cassavetes Award is annually presented to an outstanding film made on a budget of less than $1 million. Girls Will Be Girls emerged as one of the night’s most celebrated winners, alongside other notable victors like Anora and Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain.
Directed and written by Shuchi Talati, Girls Will Be Girls also marks the first production under Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s banner, Pushing Buttons Studios. The film premiered on Prime Video India on December 18, 2024, and has received widespread acclaim, with many hailing it as one of the finest coming-of-age, women-centric films from India.
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