At the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, among the films bringing intimate human stories to the international stage, Elephants in the Fog emerged as a deeply emotional and reflective cinematic experience. Rooted in silence, memory, vulnerability, and emotional survival, the film offers audiences more than a narrative — it invites them into a psychological and emotional landscape where every glance, pause, and silence carries meaning.
In this exclusive conversation with The La Croisette, one of the actors from the film opens up about the emotional weight of portraying his character, the intensity of the filming process, and why stories from Nepal deserve global recognition.
Sanjay Kumar GuptanWas Carrying Emotions Without Speaking Them
When asked what emotionally attracted him to his character, the actor immediately spoke about silence.
“What moved me most about this character was his silence and the emotions he carried without always speaking them.”
He describes the role as deeply human — fragile, wounded, yet powerful in its emotional honesty. Rather than portraying someone “performing life,” he felt he was embodying a person quietly surviving through memory, conflict, love, and loss. That emotional realism became the core reason he connected so profoundly with the character of MJ.
Interestingly, his journey into the film did not begin with a traditional casting process. According to him, director Abinash Bikram Shah approached casting in a far more intuitive and human way.
“He called me just casually meeting to see the essence of the character.”
The actor describes meeting the director almost as destiny, admitting he had admired his work long before they officially connected. Receiving the script later felt less like preparation for a role and more like entering “someone’s hidden emotions and memories.”
Cinema Beyond Borders
One of the most powerful aspects of Elephants in the Fog is its ability to transform a deeply local story into a universal emotional experience.
For the actor, bringing a Nepali story to Cannes carries enormous meaning — not only artistically, but culturally.
“Nepal is not only mountains and postcards — it is also layered with stories, emotions, culture, and voices that deserve to be heard globally.”
He emphasizes that cinema becomes truly powerful when it allows audiences to emotionally connect with lives they have never personally lived. The film’s emotional themes — longing, silence, fear, grief, and the desire to be understood — transcend geography and language.
The Weight of Silence
While discussing the filming process, the actor revealed that some of the most difficult scenes were not built around dramatic dialogue, but around emotional stillness.
Following the disappearance of his character’s girlfriend, Apsara, MJ becomes psychologically consumed by grief, suspicion, and emotional suppression. The actor explains that portraying that internal collapse required complete emotional vulnerability.
What made the performance particularly challenging was the lack of dialogue.
“Sometimes silence is the hardest thing to perform honestly, because there is nowhere to hide as an actor.”
Every breath, expression, and pause had to communicate what words could not. The emotional intensity became so overwhelming that after filming certain scenes, he needed to isolate himself completely from the rest of the cast in order to emotionally detach from the character.
The physical atmosphere of the film itself also contributed to that emotional immersion. The fog, isolation, and stillness visible on screen were not merely aesthetic choices — they became psychological extensions of the character’s inner state.
“During filming I often felt that we were capturing something very intimate and truthful rather than simply acting.”
A Film That Wants You to Feel
Unlike films designed around spectacle or immediate emotional impact, Elephants in the Fog unfolds quietly. The actor hopes audiences around the world will allow themselves to sit with the emotions of the story rather than search for fast answers.
“This story asks us to sit with emotion, memory, love, understanding, and silence.”
For him, cinema is not always about explanation — sometimes it is simply about reconnecting audiences with their own humanity.
He also hopes the film serves as a bridge between cultures, allowing international audiences to discover a more authentic emotional and artistic perspective of Nepal beyond familiar stereotypes.
The experience ultimately transformed him personally and professionally.
“I came out of the film understanding that cinema is not only entertainment — it is also memory, emotion, and human connection.”
As Elephants in the Fog continues its journey through the international festival circuit, the film stands as a reminder that some of the most powerful cinematic experiences are often the quietest ones — the stories that do not shout, but stay with you long after the screen fades to black.