Payal Kapadia is all smiles even as she loses Best Director award to Brady Corbet at 2025 Golden Globes | Hollywood

Payal Kapadia had little to cheer at the 2025 Golden Globes as she and her film, All We Imagine As Light, lost both the awards they were nominated for. But the director still held her head high and clapped for the winners. As she lost the prestigious Best Director award to Brady Corbet for The Brutalist, the filmmaker managed a big smile and applauded. (Also read: Golden Globes 2025 live updates: No wins for India as All We Imagine As Light gets snubbed in both categories)

Payal became only the third Asian woman to be nominated for Best Director at the Golden Globes when the nominations were announced late last year. For many, that achievement is big enough itself as it has brought a lot of spotlight to her and Indian cinema.

Her film, All We Imagine As Light, has been the toast of the American award season so far, getting nominated at the Globes and the Critics Choice Awards. The film was the first from India to win the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival last year. All We Imagine As Light had earlier lost to Emilia Perez in the Best Non-English Language Motion Picture category at the Golden Globes.

All We Imagine As Light got a belated theatrical release in India late in 2024 after it won both hearts and trophies at international film festivals. From January 2025, it has also been streaming, making its OTT debut on Disney+ Hotstar.

The Film Federation of India did not select the film as India’s official entry for the Oscars, a move that created quite a lot of controversy. Instead, Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies was selected to be India’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. However, the film failed to reach the shortlist, let alone get nominated.

The 82nd Golden Globes kicked off Sunday night at 8 p.m. EST (6.30 am IST), aiming to recapture the playful, comedic vibe of past ceremonies hosted by icons like Ricky Gervais or the duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. This year, comedian Nikki Glaser is hosting the event. In India, fans can watch the show on Lionsgate Play, where it has been streaming live since Monday morning, 6.30 am.