To Die a Frenchman     80 min / 2026 / Tamil with English Subtitles 

World Premiere, Rotterdam, Feb'2026  (https://iffr.com/en/iffr/2026/films/to-die-a-frenchman)

Producer, Director, Camera, and Editing: Pankaj Rishi Kumar

Associate Director and Location Sound: C. Vinayak Ram

Chief Assistant Director:  Deepa Bhalerao

Sound Design: Pankaj Rishi Kumar and Pritam Das

Sound Mixing: Pritam Das

Commentary and Subtitles: Deepa Bhalerao & Pankaj Rishi Kumar

Animation and Poster Design: Aditi chitre 

Fine Cut Consultants: Basab Mullik, Fatema Kagalwala, Tangella Madhavi

Synopsis: Monsieur Mounissamy, 70, wears his French identity on his sleeve. Living in a dusty and decrepit locality of Pondicherry (a former French colony) he aspires for citizenship from France and a plot of land from India. He appears delusional but his demand is not unreasonable in the light of Pondicherry’s merger into India- sans people’s referendum, and against the statutes of the French constitution. He exemplifies the forgotten citizens of French ruled Pondicherry, excluded from political decisions that changed the course of their lives. The film and my relationship with him take a poignant turn with his untimely death. Mounissamy’s story compels serious reflection on postcolonial histories, complex identities, and the struggles of an individual against systemic injustice.

Director’s Statement

The idea for this film began with a question: What do we call those who never crossed a border, yet woke up one day to find themselves citizens of a country they did not choose? Pondicherry’s decolonization is an unsettling testament to this dilemma. When colonial France withdrew without a plebiscite, it disregarded its own constitutional principles and reshaped the fates of thousands. The native Tamils became unintended bystanders in a political contest between two nations. 

Mounissamy embodies this overlooked history—an ordinary man caught in the machinery of decisions made far above him. His longing for French citizenship was not merely a legal pursuit but an attempt to reclaim agency over an identity stolen from him. Through his life and unfulfilled dream, the film explores how decolonization, neo-colonialism, and forced redefinitions of belonging continue to echo across generations. This story compels us to confront how political power reshapes personal destiny in ways still insufficiently acknowledged.

Press 

https://asianmoviepulse.com/2026/02/to-die-a-frenchman-2026/ 

https://asianmoviepulse.com/2026/02/pankaj-rishi-kumar/