1 week ago
Full Plate closes IFFM with story of identity and choice
The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne ended with a movie called Full Plate.
Tannishtha Chatterjee directed the film.
Kirti Kulhari plays the main character, and Sharib Hashmi also acts in it.
The story is about a homemaker who is very good at cooking.
Cooking becomes a way for her to show her feelings and discover who she is.
The film also shows how families and society can place expectations on women.
The festival chose it because its ideas about identity and choice could stay with viewers after the movie ended.
Sharib Hashmi attended the screening in Melbourne.
The 17th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne ended on August 23, 2026, with Full Plate as its Closing Night film.
Directed by Tannishtha Chatterjee, Full Plate stars Kirti Kulhari and also features Sharib Hashmi.
The film follows a homemaker whose talent for cooking becomes a way to express herself and claim her identity.
Full Plate explores women’s family and social pressures, including expectations, compromises and the search for an individual voice.
Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange said the film was chosen to end IFFM with a story that would continue raising questions after the screening.
- Who
- Tannishtha Chatterjee directed Full Plate; Kirti Kulhari stars in it, and Sharib Hashmi also appears and attended the screening.
- What
- Full Plate was screened as the Closing Night film of the 17th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.
- Where
- The closing screening took place in Melbourne, Australia.
- When
- The festival ended on August 23, 2026.
- Why
- The festival selected the film to present an Indian story about women, family, identity and personal choice, and to end with a film that would prompt continued discussion.
Key facts
- Festival
- 17th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne
- Closing film
- Full Plate
- Director
- Tannishtha Chatterjee
- Lead actor
- Kirti Kulhari
- Additional cast and attendee
- Sharib Hashmi
- Festival director
- Mitu Bhowmick Lange
- Festival end date
- August 23, 2026
Quotes
Mitu Bhowmick Lange
Festival Director of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne
“Tannishtha has approached a familiar world with a very personal perspective, and the film opens up conversations around women, family, identity and the expectations placed on them.”
thestatesman.com
“It felt right to have ‘Full Plate’ as part of our Closing Night because we wanted to end the festival with a film that stays with the audience even after the screening is over.”
thestatesman.com











