The 2023 Academy Awards saw Indian cinema achieve unprecedented recognition. The Telugu-language action epic 'RRR' captivated audiences, winning Best Original Song, while producer Guneet Monga Kapoor earned an Oscar for Documentary Short with 'The Elephant Whisperers.' Shaunak Sen's 'All That Breathes' also garnered a Documentary Feature nomination after winning top prizes at Sundance and Cannes. This wave of success brought significant cheer to the South Asian film community.

As the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival approaches, the excitement continues with nearly a dozen films from the subcontinent featured. Sen and Monga Kapoor reunite in Toronto, each marking a career milestone with their premieres. Sen's 'Termite,' a poetic short about a Delhi exterminator, is his first directorial effort since 'All That Breathes' and his debut in fiction. Monga Kapoor presents 'Dorothy,' a gangster western directed by Karthik Subbaraj, marking the renowned Tamil director's first feature to premiere at a major international festival. Notably, 'Dorothy' is Monga Kapoor's first film since Jio Studios, India's leading entertainment company, acquired a majority stake in her production company, Sikhya Entertainment.

Despite their vastly different approaches, 'Dorothy' and 'Termite' offer a fascinating look into the creative and financial dynamics shaping Indian cinema. Ahead of TIFF, Sen, Monga Kapoor, and Subbaraj reflected on the challenging yet productive years since the 2023 Oscars.

For Shaunak Sen, an Oscar nomination brought a 'warm fuzzy disbelief,' opening doors to desired meetings and shifting his perception of his work's potential. Sen and his producing partner Aman Mann founded KiteRabbit to continue their nonfiction work, with a tentative aim to venture into fiction. Sen describes independent filmmakers as 'radical autodidacts' due to the lack of established templates and a scarcity of non-studio-backed independent producing in India, except for documentaries, which have thrived.

Sen's trajectory took an unexpected turn when he received a kidney cancer diagnosis shortly after the Oscars. He coped by filming his experiences, which became the basis for his next documentary, 'The Delicate,' a portrait of a vascular surgery team, a meditation on mortality, and a personal reflection on sickness in Delhi. Thankfully now cancer-free, Sen was editing the film in Copenhagen during the interview.

The Oscar nomination also led to an unexpected collaboration with Joaquin Phoenix, a fan of 'All That Breathes.' Phoenix approached Sen about a film project, and Sen, believing a woman director would be ideal, recommended Archana Phadke. KiteRabbit is now co-producing this documentary with Phoenix, Rooney Mara, and Jim Wilson.

Interest in investing in KiteRabbit grew post-Oscars. Instead of directing random projects, Sen chose to channel these resources to support filmmakers he admired, such as Pallavi Paul and Anmol Siddhu. KiteRabbit's slate now includes five works—fiction and nonfiction, shorts and features—all representing 'independent, high quality cinema' with 'no desire for doing a commercial potboiler.'

'Termite' itself, shot in just five days, was a learning curve for Sen, who, accustomed to the 'solipsistic, hermetically sealed immersion' of nonfiction, found fiction filmmaking a 'quick small practice, like a fiction warm-up.' The film delves into themes of 'entanglement through an ecological perspective,' deep craft, and male middle-aged loneliness, inspired by Kannada writer Jayant Kaikini. Sen is uncertain about 'Termite''s Oscar potential, having no experience with the shorts circuit.

Meanwhile, Guneet Monga Kapoor has embarked on a different journey since her Oscar win. Known for producing indie festival darlings like 'The Lunchbox' and 'Masaan,' she expressed immense pride in bringing 'Dorothy' to TIFF, calling it the first film where Sikhya has truly become a 'studio.' Following 'The Elephant Whisperers,' Monga Kapoor continued a prolific output, from festival-bound indies like 'The Fable' to action films like 'Kill' and Oscar-nominated shorts like 'Anuja.'

Monga Kapoor's collaboration with Karthik Subbaraj for 'Dorothy' began nearly a decade after their initial meeting in 2016. When she was discussing projects for the Jio Studios partnership, Subbaraj's proposal for 'Dorothy' immediately resonated. The blockbuster gangster western, with a score by legendary maestro Ilaiyaraja, is set in early 1990s rural Tamil Nadu, exploring themes of caste, violence, and toxic masculinity. The film follows two inseparable friends whose lives are transformed by Dorothy (Keerthy Suresh), a woman whose compassion challenges their world. Newcomers Rishikanth and Sananth play the friends, who harbor a 'dark secret' and embark on a journey of 'self-discovery and redemption.'

'Dorothy' marks Sikhya's first film under the Jio Studios partnership, an unexpected Tamil-language project for the Mumbai-based company. The film was shot with 'phenomenal, unimaginable speed' by Subbaraj over 41 challenging days in November and December 2025, with the Jio deal finalizing in February 2026. Monga Kapoor was impressed by Subbaraj's alacrity and efficiency.

Monga Kapoor and Subbaraj are keen to campaign 'Dorothy' for the Oscars, hoping it will be India's entry. They believe a festival launch is crucial for building momentum ahead of its worldwide release on September 25, aiming to secure a U.S. distributor and marketing team. Despite its specific themes of caste-based violence, Subbaraj believes the story's core emotions, like toxic masculinity, are universal. He aimed to create a film that appeals to both mainstream Tamil audiences and international festivalgoers, rooted authentically in Madurai culture. Early responses to the film's songs have been highly positive.

Monga Kapoor acknowledges 'RRR''s 'amazing heavy lifting' in opening doors for Indian cinema globally. She emphasizes the vast diversity within Indian cinema, encompassing various languages and regions like Tamil, Hindi, and Telugu. She hopes 'Dorothy' can further the conversation 'RRR' started, showcasing that 'Indian cinema is everything, everywhere all at once.'

'Dorothy' premieres at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, while 'Termite' will be screened as part of TIFF's shorts program.