Complaints of theatres running Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light in the wrong aspect ratio have prompted the filmmaker to take up the cause on social media, where she has been asking moviegoers to request theatres to fix the aspect ratio if the subtitles aren’t visible or the frame is “stretched”.

The film, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes 2024, had a limited theatrical release in India on November 22.

Taking to X, the FTII alumna advised viewers to complain to projectionists if the film was playing in the wrong aspect ratio. “If the cinema you see the film has the wrong aspect ratio- pls report to the projectionist!! The AR is 1:1.66 (flat not scope ). Basically the image should not be stretched,” Payal tweeted on Friday.

Not stopping at issuing an advisory, Payal assumed the role of an ‘aspect ratio warrior’, responding to every user who complained of faulty projection.

“Hi, Loved the movie!! It was showing with the wrong aspect ratio and subtitles were getting cut off, but they fixed it and started the movie again from the start,” one user tweeted to Payal, to which the latter replied: “Oh thank god! They are not used to this aspect ratio it seems”.

“If you don’t have subs in the film, there is something wrong. That’s when you ask the cinema to stop. Even if it’s just one person in the hall, you have the right to see it the correct way,” Payal tweeted on Sunday.

She even shared a photo of a stretched projection at a theatre and asked viewers to take up the matter with hall managers. “This is wrong aspect ratio. This image is stretched. If you see this kind of stretching immediately stop the film. Thanks for your support.”

Payal’s social media posts soon became the talk-of-the-town on X with users praising her relentless fight to ensure viewers can enjoy All We Imagine As Light in the right aspect ratio. Filmmaker Hansal Mehta seized the opportunity to share anecdotes about the challenges he faced with projections for his own films.

“To whosoever it may interest: Since Shahid I’ve preferred shooting most of my films in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Faraaz was 2:1. Then Citylights, Simran, Chhalaang and The Buckingham Murders were the regular 2.39:1. It is a matter of personal preference on how I want to tell the story and how I want to make the experience of discovering my stories more intimate and character driven. There were challenges projecting the film in 1.85:1 because most cinemas don’t give a damn,” Mehta wrote.

“However, Aligarh onwards we hard-masked the film in our aspect ratio and released a 2.39 print. These problems happen only in our country. In cinemas worldwide and at film festivals there has never been an issue. I hear All We Imagine As Light is facing issues with its projection because of its aspect ratio. Hope cinema halls respect the maker’s vision and the audience experience - even if it is for 10 members in the hall,” the filmmaker further said.