At the Cannes Film Market this week, Indian indie feature ‘Love You Messi’ secured UK-based Hong Kong creative Hiu Man Chan as executive producer, as director Khanjan Kishore Nath and producer Ranjit Teron continued international co-production discussions for the Karbi-language film.
Produced by Rura Rura Entertainment, the project marks Nath and Teron’s second collaboration following ‘Lost Path’ in 2025. The film is currently in production, with several scenes already shot during Lionel Messi’s visit to India last December.
Set in a remote hilly village in northeast India, the story follows eight-year-old Rang, a boy from the Karbi tribe whose life revolves around football and his admiration for Lionel Messi. Rang watches Messi’s matches on a neighbour’s television and collects photographs of the footballer whenever he can. After adopting an abandoned puppy named Tung Tung, the boy embarks on an unexpected journey when he learns that Messi is scheduled to play a friendly match in Mumbai.
Director Khanjan Kishore Nath said the film extends beyond football itself. “If you think ‘Love You Messi’ is a film about football or about Lionel Messi, then you are mistaken,” Nath said.
He added, “It is not really about football, nor is it about Messi alone. At its heart, the film is about a disabled child’s passion and his longing to discover a world far beyond the boundaries of his small village.”
He added that the project explores “love, care, humanity and the courage to chase a dream against all odds”.
Nath also said he wanted to frame the story against the landscape of Karbi Anglong, describing the region as a place “where life moves in its own rhythm and beauty flourishes differently”.
Chan, who joins the production as executive producer, will oversee the film’s international packaging, including festival strategy, sales, distribution and overseas marketing operations through the UK.
Speaking about the project, Chan said Hong Kong has a strong fanbase for Messi despite disappointment surrounding the footballer’s absence during a previous tour to the region. “Being a Messi fan myself, it’s a real joy to be able to join this project and serve as an executive producer,” Chan said. “I hope my European network and dynamic approach to the international market can help this project to reach the furthest it could.”
Nath previously won the Rajat Kamal at India’s National Film Awards in 2020 for his short fiction film ‘Kachichinithu’ (The Boy with a Gun). He studied filmmaking at the Zee Institute of Media Arts in Mumbai and holds an M Phil in Mass Communication from Rajiv Gandhi University.
The production team aims to complete filming before the end of the year.
