An incredible honour

A mum to 2.5-month-old Dua, Khosla made a statement when she accessoried her Studio NK dress with breast pumps. "There is no rulebook to motherhood..." she wrote on Instagram.

But luck was not by my side. My dress for the night was in Marseilles, two hours away, and the only way I could get it would be to fly it to Cannes by helicopter. Obviously, this was not an option.

Now my backup outfit also vanished – it was to be delivered at the hotel, but the roads were apparently being blocked by police, leading to major delays. My only consolation was the fact that my dress and I were in the same city. But by now I had only half an hour left to dress.

With only 10 minutes left for the event, the dress arrived. There wasn’t even time to feel anxious at this point: I had to slip on the dress at lightning speed and make my way down to the carpet.

When I finally got there, I made the most of my Cinderella moment, this time in a gorgeous dusty blue, Aishwarya Rai-inspired dress by Milla.

BREAST PUMPS ON THE RED CARPET!

(Left) Diipa wore a red La Metamorphose gown on the last day of Cannes

Now that there were no more red carpets to worry about, the festivity of the event began to sink in as I started to watch the film Still Water. As stressed as I had been, I realised as I watched the movie that the purpose of the Cannes Film Festival is the appreciation of films and all the talent behind them. The glamour of the event tends to hide that fact.

But in the cinema that night, there were only a few faces to be seen, even though many people had entered via the red carpet. Perhaps people slip out of the back exit after they enter, I don’t know. But as much of a pity as this seems, it is somewhat understandable. Imagine sitting in a cinema in an extravagant outfit for more than two hours on a summer evening. Keep in mind that you are offered nothing to eat or drink. Perhaps this is why people don’t stay to watch the films.

With the end of the movie came the end of my Cannes Film Festival 2021 experience. As much stress as it had brought, it was still an incredible honour to attend.

“...THE PURPOSE OF THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL IS THE APPRECIATION OF FILMS AND ALL THE TALENT BEHIND THEM. THE GLAMOUR OF THE EVENT TENDS TO HIDE THAT FACT” —DIIPA KHOSLA

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One of the first Indian influencers to gain global recognition with her work, Diipa Khosla is also the founder of the NGO Post for Change. She was recently featured on the cover of HT Brunch, among several other leading magazines