Tannishtha Chatterjee’s Full Plate will open Indian Film Festival of Sydney.

Sydney is set to welcome the Indian Film Festival once again this October, marking a return after a brief hiatus. Scheduled from 9–11 October 2025, the three-day event will showcase a wide spectrum of cinematic storytelling from India and its global diaspora. The festival is organised by Mitu Bhowmick Lange AM, the founder of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

This year, the Sydney edition will open with Full Plate, written and directed by acclaimed actor-filmmaker Tannishtha Chatterjee. The film is produced by Ashutosh Goswami and Anup Chitnis.

Full Plate goes to Indian Film Festival of Sydney

Full Plate stars Kirti Kulhari in the lead role, supported by Sharib Hashmi, Monica Dogra, and Indraneil Sengupta. The film had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival 2025. It follows the story of a Muslim homemaker in Mumbai who, after her husband suffers an accident, must step into the workforce. The resulting shifts in her personal life and her husband’s insecurities form the heart of the narrative.

Talking about the opportunity to open the festival, Tannishtha Chatterjee said, “In the middle of one of the hardest chapters of my life, it meant everything to know that stories still matter. When Mitu asked me to open the Indian Film Festival of Sydney with Full Plate, I felt both humbled and profoundly grateful. This film was born out of struggle, grit and hope, and sharing it with the Sydney audience feels like bringing the journey full circle.”

Festival director reacts

Mitu Bhowmick Lange AM, festival director, commented on the significance of opening with Chatterjee’s film, saying, “There is something deeply resonant about opening with Full Plate. Tannishtha’s courage, her determination to tell this story despite overwhelming odds, reflects exactly why Indian cinema matters—because it does more than entertain, it reveals, it heals, it challenges. We are honoured to welcome Sydney audiences back with this film and with three days of cinema that probe, celebrate and uplift.”

Festival lineup

Over the three days, the festival will feature more than 15 films across languages and genres, including independent features, shorts, and documentaries. In addition to screenings, attendees can participate in panel discussions, Q&A sessions, and conversations with filmmakers, providing insight into both the creative process and the broader cultural narratives explored in contemporary Indian cinema.

Tannishtha Chatterjee’s cancer diagnosis

Tannishtha Chatterjee, who has starred in films like Joram, Parched and Angry Indian Godessess, revealed that she has been diagnosed with stage 4 oligo metastatic Cancer. Tannishtha shared a picture of herself with her shaved head and wrote, “So the last 8 months have been incredibly difficult- to put it mildly. As if losing my father to Cancer was not enough. 8 months back, I got diagnosed with stage 4 oligo metastatic Cancer.”

She further explained that the post was meant to express her gratitude toward all the women who stood by her and offered support during this challenging period. In the second photo of her post, she was seen alongside actors Shabana Azmi, Dia Mirza, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vidya Balan, and Divya Dutta.

Take a look:

In her note, she continued, “But this post is not about Pain.Its about love and strength. It can’t get worse than this. A 70yr old mother and 9 year all daughter .. both totally dependent on me. But in the darkest moments, I discovered an extraordinary kind of love, the kind that shows up, holds space, and never lets you feel alone. I found it in my amazing friends and my family, whose unwavering support, brought , genuine smiles to my face, even on the hardest days. In a world racing towards AI and robots, it’s the irreplaceable compassion of real, passionate humans that is saving me. It is their empathy, their messages, their presence – their humanity – that is bringing life back.”