Trending #IndiaatCannes reflects nation’s star power at film festival
CELEBRITIES LIGHT UP RED CARPET AMID EVENTS TO SPOTLIGHT MOVIE INDUSTRY
IT’S BEEN an immense six days for the Indians at the Cannes Film Festival – the hashtag #IndiaatCannes has been trending here.
Whether it’s Deepika Padukone on the main competition jury or India as the first-ever Country of Honour at the Marche du Film (the business part of the Cannes Film Festival), the Indians have been seen and noticed.
On Monday (23), All That Breathes, the only Indian film officially selected this year, enjoyed its moment in the spotlight as it premiered in the Special Screening segment. It is quite the coup for director Shaunak Sen and brothers Nadeem Shehzad and Mohammad Said. The documentary was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival in the US, winning an award there, and its inclusion in Cannes shows how highly regarded it is.
A fly-on-the-wall story, it covers tumultuous times in New Delhi over recent times but centrally is about the brothers’ mission to patch up injured birds of prey. The siblings run a rudimentary bird hospital alongside their soap business, but their care and attention for the featured creatures becomes an all-consuming passion and is at the heart of the tale.
Last week, a slew of Indian stars turned out in force, both to represent the country formally as the Country of Honour in the market section and unveil new films.
Bollywood star R Madhavan, one of the most popular south Indian film personalities of the age, was part of the official delegation which included the country’s minister of Information & Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, who helped inaugurate the India Pavilion last Wednesday (18).
But it was the sheer strength of star power that really hit home – Madhavan and Thakur were joined by Tamannaah (of Baahubhali fame), Nawazuddin Siddiqui (who has had the highest number of films at the Cannes Film Festival in the shortest time) Padukone herself, Oscar and Grammy winner AR Rahman and Elizabeth director, Shekhar Kapur. All of them spoke at the inauguration, as did stars Pooja Hegde and Urvashi Rautela.
Last Thursday (19), popular actor Hina Khan unveiled the poster to her latest film, Country of the Blind, directed by Rahat Kazmi. The story, about a sightless community who welcome in a climber who can see, is based on a story by 20thcentury sci-fi writer HG Wells.
Last Friday (20), it was the turn of another TV fan favourite, Helly Shah, to announce her move into feature films. A poster was revealed of her in Kaya Palat, which is about mafia gangs in Jammu and Kashmir. In another first, the actress also walked the red carpet as the first Indian TV star for make-up brand L’Oreal, one of the festival’s sponsors.
The opening day of the Marche du Film last Wednesday was marked by a party at Majestic Beach, celebrating India as the Country of Honour and spotlighting its film industry. Thakur announced incentives for foreign co-productions, saying he wanted India to become the content hub of the world. He said the government was seeking to boost the entertainment sector – it is estimated to to rise between £50-£60 billion by 2030.