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Ghoomar goes global @Cannes
Dance, discussions and dreamy outfits — Day 2 of the 75th Cannes Film Festival was all about that and more. Actors Deepika Padukone, Pooja Hegde, Tamannaah Bhatia, Urvashi Rautela, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and music composer AR Rahman, among others, gathered for the inauguration of the India Pavilion on Wednesday, ensuring that the colours of Indian culture, from music to films, were spread far and wide.
What added to the fervour was Padukone breaking into a dance, with Hegde, Rautela and Bhatia joining in as Rajasthani folk singer Mame Khan, part of the Indian delegation this year, sang the folk song Ghoomar.
Dressed in an all-black ensemble, Padukone, who is a part of the ninemember jury, thanked Rahman and filmmaker Shekhar Kapur for putting “India on the global map”. “It’s because of your contributions over the years that people like us are able to be here today,” she said, and added, “India is at the cusp of greatness. This is just the beginning... There will come a day, I truly believe, when India won’t have to be at Cannes, but Cannes will be in India.”
The red carpet appearance of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is almost always the highlight of the Cannes Film Festival. The actor has been representing India at the prestigious event for the past two decades. She wore a voluminous Dolce & Gabbana one-shoulder gown to the red carpet on Wednesday. The outfit featured a burst of 3D florals in multi-colours as an extension on one sleeve and then from the waist down. She attended the screening of Hollywood actor Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick.
She was also seen striking a pose with her old friend, Hollywood actor Eva Longoria. A video of Bachchan’s daughter, Aaradhya, interacting with Longoria’s son, Santiago, on a video call has gone viral. Bachchan is also heard asking him, “What’s your name, handsome?”
Meanwhile, Hegde, who opted for a white mini dress and a matching cape, focused on how we need to “stop aping the West”. She added, “We have enough stories to tell, whether it’s Satyajit Ray’s films, the Apu trilogy, or a film like Nayak (1966), which is a story about a hero and his personal struggles. We need to stop aping the West and embrace our stories like Charulata (1964), stories that have been celebrated across the world. Rahman sir and Nawaz sir have been doing amazing work. Irrfan sir is not here today, but he also did that.”
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur chose the occasion to roll out the red carpet for foreign filmmakers to make their projects in India, by offering incentives of up to ₹2.5 crore for co-production and hiring locals for such projects.
Actor Helly Shah, too, made her red carpet debut at Cannes. She is there for the poster launch of her debut film, Kaya Palat. Also attending the gala this year is actor Hina Khan. Having made her debut at Cannes in 2019, she is at the festival this time to launch the poster of her Indo-English film, Country of Blind.
Day 3 of the Cannes Film Festival saw insightful discussions about the potential of the Indian entertainment industry