The trailer and poster of the film Rango Bibaaho (Marriages By Design), directed by Amitabha Chaterji, were unveiled at the Bharat Pavilion of the Cannes Film Festival recently. Puja Batra, producer Angela Asatrian, and other dignitaries unveiled the poster. With the launch, the film is now ready to begin its journey across international film festivals and is also awaiting its domestic theatrical release in India.
A social comedy exploring themes of love, marriage, companionship, and loneliness in contemporary society, the film presents a satirical yet emotional look at changing human relationships. Through humour and social observation, Rango Bibaaho examines how ideas surrounding marriage and personal connection continue to evolve in modern times.
“I wanted to make a film where comedy and unease coexist — where laughter slowly reveals something more unsettling. Rango Bibaaho imagines a city where loneliness is declared a public problem, and marriage becomes its bureaucratic solution. The idea emerged from observing how systems gradually enter the most intimate areas of our lives — not always through force, but often through policies that present themselves as care. The humour comes from rehearsed politeness, awkward negotiations, and strangers attempting to perform intimacy. But beneath it lies a growing discomfort: companionship is no longer a choice, but a requirement. The film avoids spectacle. It moves through routines, procedures, and small interactions — where the absurd does not erupt, but accumulates. What begins as something almost comic slowly becomes inevitable,” said Chaterji. The film stars Deshaa Nandii, Amrita Mukhopadhyay, Partha Sarathi Chandra, and Jagannath Chakraborty in key roles.
Chaterji describes his visit to the Cannes Film Festival as an “overwhelming” yet deeply inspiring experience. “For an independent filmmaker from India, this kind of environment is rare,” Chaterji said, adding that he has been trying to absorb as much of the experience as possible. According to him, the festival demonstrates that cinema can still bring strangers together physically through shared viewing and discussion. “You see long queues outside theatres, people discussing films on the streets, cafés full of arguments about cinema till late night — it has its own energy,” he said.
Chaterji also spoke about the weather in Cannes, describing sudden shifts from warm summer conditions to cold and windy evenings. Amid the busy festival schedule, he has been watching films by internationally acclaimed directors. Beyond screenings and official events, the filmmaker said some of the most memorable moments have come from unexpected conversations. He recalled spending nearly an hour speaking with a French photographer about Fujifilm black-and-white photography in a park near the local market. “Moments like these somehow become part of the Cannes experience too,” he said.
During his stay, Chaterji also interacted with filmmakers Ashutosh Gowariker and Sudhir Mishra. He further participated in Indo-Brazil co-production meetings, which he described as opening up “interesting conversations and possibilities” for future collaborations. “Right now, every day here feels full of cinema,” he said.