Cannes 2018: Here’s A Look At The Indian Representation

The Cannes Film Festival opened this week and just like every year, the French Riviera town has rolled out the red carpet to the biggest film personalities from all around the world.

From Satyajit Ray in the 70s, Aishwarya Rai to Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in more recent years, the Croisette’s fine sands, glitzy hotels and gourmet restaurants have also hosted Indian cinema’s biggest and most respected actors and filmmakers during the world’s most glamorous and prestigious film festival.

The Indian contingent has already made some splashes. Kangana, who is the brand ambassador of Grey Goose, walked the red carpet for the screening of Christophe Honore’s French drama Plaire, aimer et courir vite.

Deepika Padukone, who is representing cosmetics brand L’Oreal at the film festival’s, walked the red carpet in a spectacular Ashi Studio gown.

Here are some pictures:

#Repost @hollywoodreporter with @get_repost ・・・ Now this is Cannes. Deepika Padukone walks up the steps at the Palais for the premiere of ‘Ash is Purest White.’ #Cannes2018 / @gettyentertainment

A post shared by Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) on May 11, 2018 at 1:48pm PDT

The Queen has arrived in @nedrettaciroglu! #queenatcannes #kanganaatcannes #greygooselife

A post shared by Kangana Ranaut (@team_kangana_ranaut) on May 11, 2018 at 11:30am PDT

close your eyes and feel the summer breeze…? #Cannes2018 @albertaferretti @charlotteolympia @lorealmakeup @lorealhair @lorealskin #lorealparisindia

A post shared by Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) on May 11, 2018 at 12:44pm PDT

Dhanush’s first ever international project The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir, was introduced at the Cannes Film Festival and the actor unveiled the India poster of the film.

The film is based on the French novel L’ extraordinaire voyage du fakir qui était resté coincé dans une armoire Ikéa ( The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir who got trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe) written by Romain Puertolas.

Directed by the Canadian filmmaker Ken Scott, the movie will see actors from different film industries and cultures. Berenice Bejo, the Oscar-nominated actress of The Artist, co-stars with Dhanush. Barkhad Abdi, Erin Moriarty and Abel Jafri are also part of the movie.

Actor-director Nandita Das’ film Manto, which features Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the titular role will also be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The biopic about the troubled life of Pakistani-Indian writer Saadat Hasan Manto has been selected for the Un Certain Regard category of the film festival.

National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao’s 5 Weddings was screened at Cannes. The film, directed by Namrata Singh Gujral, features Nargis Fakhri and Rajkummar opposite each other for the first time. The movie is reportedly based on weddings in Bollywood and is narrated from the perspective of an American journalist who comes to India to cover them.

Adding to India’s presence at Cannes will be director Rohena Gera, for her debut feature film Sir, starring Tillotama Shome; Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna for his directorial debut The Last Color and young thespian Antara Rao for her short film Asthi.

Gera’s Sir, a love story set against the backdrop of the existing class divide, has been selected for the Cannes Film Festival’s the Critics’ Week sidebar. The movie is among the seven films selected for the feature competition category of the sidebar, which opens with Paul Dano’s feature directorial debut Wildlife and closes with Alex Lutz’s Guy. Both of these films are out of the competition categories and are billed as Special Screenings Features. Gera’s film was first announced at Goa’s Film Bazaar in 2016 and revolves around the relationship with a middle class man and his domestic help.

Walking the red carpet this year will be Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, apart from Deepika Padukone, Kangana Ranaut, Huma Qureshi and Mallika Sherawat representing various brands, while actors like Rasika and Tillotama will represent their movies.

At Cannes, as a brand ambassador for Grey Goose, Huma engaged in a freewheeling interview with this correspondent on the #MeToo movement, freedom of expression and the situation of women in India, besides her own journey.

Step in the right direction… @mohitrai @manjarisinghofficial @greygooseindia #greygoose #greygooselife #red #glam #cannes #2018

A post shared by Huma Qureshi (@iamhumaq) on May 11, 2018 at 9:59am PDT

An “India Day” was organised at the festival on May 11 to bring together the French and Indian film industries. The Embassy of France in India and UniFrance, in charge of promoting French films abroad, organised it on Friday at Terrasse UniFrance, Cannes. Assamese film Village Rockstars, Malayalam film Bhayanakam, Bengali movie Nagarkirtan, and Sinjar, a film from Lakshadweep made in the Jasari language, will be showcased at the India Pavilion. It will also see the launch of T for Taj Mahal and the poster of Bhonsle with actor Manoj Bajpayee.