Passionate TV celebs deserve a chance at Cannes: Rahat Kazmi

Actor-filmmaker Rahat Kazmi, who has attended Cannes Film Festival five times, looks forward to launching the poster of his next production there this year. Kazmi feels that Cannes is the right platform for films with an international appeal, including independent ones. “Often when one makes a film with a studio, the stakes are higher and they stick to a formula as they don’t want to take risk with their money. After Mantostan (which had a world premiere at Cannes in 2016), we have collaborated with makers from France, UK, Singapore and US, and we have made films which we want to make, ones that have a voice.”

He even took actor Hina Khan, who starred in his film Lines, to Cannes in 2019. “She’s a versatile actor. Later, showcasing the first look at

Cannes and seeing her on red carpet made me teary eyed,” he shares, adding, “Now actor Helly Shah will be there for the poster launch of our film. I feel, A-listers, popular stars have many avenues to reach global platforms. Often it doesn’t matter as much to them as they get promotion and money through box office and ads. But passionate celebs like Hina and Helly, who have made a name on TV and are amazing, need to get exposure and be seen in international cinema.”

Kazmi also thanks Priyanka Chopra Jonas “and others who have broken the stereotype and paved a path for others to follow internationally”. What he loves about Cannes is that one can see “cinema evolve as filmmakers across the world experiment and come together to showcase their work”. “People recognise good work there... This year, it’s extra special as India is being honoured at Cannes,” he ends.