Manya Pathak calls her Cannes debut a ‘Cinderella moment’

For Delhi-based actor Manya Pathak, it was nothing short of a dream to visit Cannes Film Festival for the launch of her upcoming short film’s poster, and even walk the red carpet.

“I was so excited [for this] that I haven’t been able to eat or sleep properly. This whole moment felt so much bigger than me,” says Pathak, who rose to fame after being a part of the reality TV show Dilli Darlings. Talking to us from the French Riviera, she adds, “It feels surreal. The moment I stepped on the red carpet at Cannes, I let go of all my fears.”

Calling it her “Cinderella moment”, Pathak quips that it’s her “fairy godmother” who made her wishes come true. For her red carpet debut at Cannes, Pathak wore an Anjali Phougat embellished blue gown with a train.

“Anjali is an Indian designer based in the US and has closely worked with Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu. I’m happy it’s an Indian female designer that I wore for this prestigious red carpet. I wore the exact shade of blue that is in our Indian National Flag’s Ashoka Chakra, so that’s my tribute to my country,” she says.

At the festival, the 35-yearold actor unveiled the poster of her short film, Pratyantar at the Indian Pavilion. Describing the film as extra special, she reveals, “My husband (Prateek Chaturvedi) has also played a small part in this, and that makes it super special. Not only that, but this is a femaleled film. The protagonist (Manya herself), director, producer, line producer... all are women.”

Feeling proud as India is the Country Of Honour for Marche du Film at Cannes for the first time, she states, “All I wanted to do was spread the word about our (Indian) cinema and the kind of work we do. It’s a double celebration for me, as I was the only one from Delhi at the event this year. It’s been an honour.”