CANNES 2015
Actor-director was at Cannes scouting for producers for new film
Actor and director Nandita Das visited the Cannes Film Festival to look for producers and financiers for her upcoming film on famous Urdu short story writer Saadat Hasan Manto.
The actress has previously attended the festival as a two-time festival jury member, but this time her trip had a purpose.
Known for her roles in films such as Fire, Earth and Bawander, Das says she got to watch only two films at the festival this time.
“But then I had gone there for a purpose and wanted to focus on just that. This time I had to find producers and financiers for my upcoming film on Manto and answer questions that were not always about the creative aspects of the project. After all, pitching for a film was a completely new terrain for me,” Das said.
Cannes, she said, is always a mixed bag of glamour and a space where all kinds of films find their place.
“Here directors are truly celebrat- ed and often the standing ovation and applause they get can go on till your hands hurt. Sadly back home, much of the press is about who wore what, while there is lot else that is far more significant that happens.”
According to her, Manto believed in connections of the mind and heart and didn’t give much importance to national identities and boundaries.
“So an international film with many different collaborators is totally in the spirit of Manto. In fact, that is the reason why I want even a Pakistani producer to come on board.
“They [Pakistan] claim Manto to be their greatest short story writer and
at Nandita Das speaks the inauguration of the India pavilion at Cannes
on May 14.