Priyanka Chopra Jonas has once again lent her star power to a small Indian film with big ambitions. The actor-producer has joined We Were Here, an Oscar-qualified short film written and directed by young filmmaker Pranav Bhasin, as an executive producer. The witty, AI-era comedy has already travelled to more than 80 festivals and will soon premiere on The New Yorker's YouTube channels.
What Is We Were Here About?
The film is set in a small Indian town and follows three retired men who are convinced that machines are taking over human jobs. Their solution is as absurd as it is touching – they protest by pretending to be household appliances. The story takes a sharp turn when the child of one of the men lands a job at an artificial intelligence company.
Underneath the humour, the film taps into a fear many families in India are discussing right now: what happens to people when technology moves faster than they can? It is that mix of comedy and relevance that seems to have caught Priyanka's eye.
What Priyanka Said
Explaining why she came on board, Priyanka called the film "a refreshing, witty take on a subject that feels very timely", and said she jumped at the chance to help the team amplify its vision. Bhasin has said that having such established names backing the film as it heads into awards season feels unreal.
She joins a strong line-up of executive producers that includes Irish actor Andrew Scott and Tony Award-winning playwright and activist V, formerly known as Eve Ensler. Yash Gonsai, Dheer Momaya and Dar Gai are among the producers, with SPLF Media and Aarti Lohia presenting.
A Remarkable Festival Run
We Were Here premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France, one of the world's most respected short-film events, where it won the Canal+ Prize. It went on to win the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short and the Redbreast Unhidden Award at SXSW. At Palm Springs International ShortFest, it picked up Best Live-Action Short Film Under 15 Minutes and Best Comedy Short – and that win made it eligible for Academy Award consideration.
| Key Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Film | We Were Here (live-action short) |
| Writer-director | Pranav Bhasin |
| Cast | Yash Gonsai, Satish Kashyap, Arindol Bagchi, Shubham Kujur, Kalpana Gagdekar and others |
| Executive producers | Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Andrew Scott, V (formerly Eve Ensler) |
| Premiere | Clermont-Ferrand, France (Canal+ Prize) |
| Oscar route | Palm Springs ShortFest win |
| Festival run | 80+ festivals, 20+ awards |
| Where to watch | The New Yorker's YouTube channels (date to be announced) |
Priyanka's Growing Love for Indian Shorts
This is not the first time Priyanka has used her global platform to push an Indian short film towards the Oscars. Earlier, she backed Anuja, the Delhi-set short about a young girl working in a garment factory, which went on to earn an Academy Award nomination. Her involvement brought the film a level of international attention that most independent shorts never get.
With We Were Here, she is again betting on a fresh voice from India. For a first-time filmmaker, support of this kind can make a real difference during the awards campaign, when visibility among Academy members matters as much as the film itself.
Why Short Films Need Big Backers
Unlike feature films, shorts rarely get a theatrical release or a big marketing budget. Their journey depends on festivals, word of mouth and, increasingly, online platforms. An executive producer with a global following can open doors to screenings, press coverage and industry events that an independent team would struggle to access on its own. That is especially true during Oscar season, when hundreds of short films compete for the attention of Academy voters.
What It Means for Indian Cinema
Indian short films are having a strong run on the global stage, and big names stepping in as producers shows that the industry is taking the format seriously. For viewers at home, it also means more chances to watch well-made Indian stories for free online, since the film will be available on YouTube.
What Happens Next
The next big milestone is the Academy's shortlist for Best Live-Action Short Film, which is usually announced in December. Until then, the team will campaign for the film, while The New Yorker is expected to announce its online premiere date soon. Fans of Priyanka and of smart, small-town comedies will want to keep an eye out.
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