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INDIA ADDS GLITTER TO THE CANNES RED CARPET
Several Indian celebrities, including actors Deepika Padukone and R Madhavan, went upscale and elegant to ascend the steps of the Palais des Festivals at the red carpet on the opening day of the 75th Cannes Film Festival, making for a carnival-like atmosphere with sparkle, glitz and glamour. Putting spotlight on the myriad shades and diversity of Indian cinema, Union Minister for
Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur led the largestever Indian delegation of 11 celebs at the star-studded red carpet, with singer Mame Khan scripting history by becoming the first-ever folk artiste from India to walk the red carpet.
Indian stars stayed true to their ‘desi’ roots while picking their outfits. For the ladies, the glamour at the extravaganza was more of a play with muted colours and splashes of bling. Padukone, who is part of the competition jury, personified elegance with her
Bengal tiger-inspired desi retro look in a bling black and golden striped saree by Sabyasachi, while actor Tamannaah Bhatia was oozing royalty in a dramatic black and white ball gown by designer duo Gauri & Nainika. Actor Vani Tripathi Tikoo also opted for a saree for the outing.
Most men also opted for ethnic outfits. Thakur, along with CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi and composer AR Rahman, looked dapper in a bandhgala, while filmmaker Shekhar Kapur paired a simple kurta with a waistcoat and pants for the outing. What was interesting was Kej’s look, as he rewore the Indian outfit that he had previously worn at the Grammys ceremony this year. While Madhavan opted for a suit by designer Manish Malhotra, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui looked dapper in a black suit.
Grammy Awardwinning composer Ricky Kej curated a multilingual concert for the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. “The performance was packed with a spectacular audio-visual experience. It was a huge celebration of India,” Kej tells us over a call, adding, “It was a mix of Sanskrit, Hindi and Rajasthani dialect, with a little bit of Punjabi, English and Odia.”
Apart from his musical outing, Kej also walked the red carpet at the opening ceremony of the festival as part of the Indian delegation led by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur and actors
Nawazuddin Siddiqui and R Madhavan, and composer AR Rahman. He feels that his presence at the Cannes shuns a lot of misconceptions.
“There’s a huge belief, especially among the musicians in India, that if you want to get to a global platform such as the Grammys or Cannes, you have to go for western music. That’s a wrong perception, because the West appreciates us for who we are and I am a living example of that,” says the 40-year-old.
“I have never done any Bollywood project. Also, I am not considered a part of the mainstream music in India and yet the government chose me. I am grateful to them that they recognised [my talent],” Kej ends.