Huma Qureshi's 'Bayaan' To Have World Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival 2025

The 2025 Toronto International Film Festival will bring Indian cinema to the forefront with the world premiere of Bayaan, a police procedural thriller headlined by actor Huma Qureshi. Set to debut in the festival's prestigious Discovery section in September, Bayaan is helmed by writer-director Bikas Ranjan Mishra, best known for his feature film Chauranga (2014).

Bayaan—the only Indian film in the Discovery section—was developed at Film Independent, Los Angeles, and is produced by Shiladitya Bora of Platoon One Films. The movie also stars Chandrachur Singh and Sachin Khedekar.

Qureshi, who is also attached as an executive producer on the film, said she is thrilled that Bayaan will premiere in the Discovery section, which has launched the careers of filmmaking giants like Christopher Nolan, Alfonso Cuarón, and Barry Jenkins, among others.

The actor billed Bayaan as a "timely and powerful story" about a woman caught in the crossfire of "power, faith, and systemic complicity."

"Bayaan gave me the opportunity to play the kind of character I’ve long been drawn to—someone within the justice system, yet up against forces much larger than herself. It was an absolute joy to work with a team so passionate and fearless in telling a story that feels both vital and universal," Qureshi said in a statement.

Poster of 'Bayaan'

Mishra described Bayaan as a poignant reflection of contemporary India, where "power and gender intersect in volatile and often invisible ways." He added, "It's my attempt to bear witness to a society in transition — and to the quiet courage of those who choose to speak."

Bora, the indie stalwart whose past work includes Newton (India’s Official Entry to Academy Awards 2017) as well as Sir (Cannes 2018) and Ghaath (Berlinale 2023), called TIFF the "perfect launchpad' for Bayaan to start its global journey.

"As a producer, I’m always looking for that one script that can be a breakout film for everyone involved—and with Bayaan, I knew we had something powerful," the producer added.

Director Bikas Ranjan Mishra with Shiladitya Bora

The movie is led by an ensemble including Paritosh Sand, Avijit Dutt, Vibhore Mayank, Sampa Mandal, Swati Das, Aditi Kanchan Singh and Perry Chhabra. Bayaan is a co-production of Platoon One Films with Madhu Sharma (Summit Studios), Kunal Kumar, Anuj Gupta as producers, and Switzerland-based Sadik Keshwani (Guidant Films) billed as a co-producer.

Bayaan has cinematography by Udit Khurana (Netflix's A Hunt for Veerappan), editing by the acclaimed A Sreekar Prasad (RRR), music composed by Ajay Jayanthi (Netflix's Black Warrant), and costumes designed by Shilpi Agarwal (Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise).

The film is supported by the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund and was developed at LA Residency, a part of the Global Media Makers (GMM) program of Film Independent, Los Angeles. During the residency, Mishra was mentored by Craig Mazin (creator of Chernobyl, The Last of Us) and received advice on the script from writer Jeff Stockwell and story editor Ruth Atkinson.