After a cancelled 2020 edition and a scaled-back gathering in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the prestigious Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, May 17, welcomed members from different film fraternities. India has been chosen as the first ‘country of honour’ at Marche Du Cinema at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in France this year. From Deepika Padukone’s debut as a jury member to several actors such as Tamannaah Bhatia, Urvashi Rautela, and Pooja Hegde making their Cannes debut at the film festival’s red carpet; photos of Indian celebrities have gone viral on social media. The Indian pavilion at the Cannes Film Market will present six films at the 11-day-long festival - Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (Hindi, English, Tamil), Godavari (Marathi), Alpha Beta Gamma (Hindi), Boomba Ridea (Mishing), Dhuin (Maithili) and Niraye Thathakalulla Maram (Malayalam).
Here’s a list of interesting updates from the 75th edition of Cannes Film Festival:
Director Pa Ranjith, who is popular for films like Rajinikanth starrer Kaala and period sports drama Sarpatta Parambarai, made his debut at the Cannes film festival. The filmmaker’s photos from France wherein he is seen donning a grey suit, have been doing the rounds on social media, with many fans expressing that they are proud of his journey. Pa Ranjith will be launching the first-look poster of his upcoming Tamil film Vettuvam on May 19.
Deepika Padukone, who is a jury member at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, wore a Sabyasachi ensemble for the jury photocall on the first day of the festival. Describing the Bengal Tiger couture sari worn by Deepika, the caption from Sabyasachi’s Instagram profile read, “The stripes have been block printed and hand embroidered by some of India’s finest craftspeople at the Sabyasachi atelier. The look is paired with statement pieces from Sabyasachi Jewellery’s Bengal Royale Collection.” Actor Aishwarya Rai is also likely to walk the red carpet at the festival.
As actor Kamal Haasan gears up for the release of his upcoming film Vikram, co-starring actors VIjay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil in the lead, he announced on May 18 that the Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) of Vikram will be launched at the Cannes Film Festival. Kamal announced that they have teamed up with Fantico, a Vistas Media Capital Company for the same. Award-winning music composer AR Rahman shared a photo with Kamal Haasan on social media.
Vikram forays into the Metaverse.
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) May 18, 2022
The much awaited Vikram NFTs on https://t.co/0t68cOrzW5 will be revealed today at Cannes Film Festival 2022.#VikramFromJune3 #VikraminMetaverse #VikramNFT #Cannes2022 pic.twitter.com/kjTrwVw1lK
Actor Tamannaah’s photos from Cannes won hearts on the internet, with many social media users praising her look. The F3 actor was seen in a black monochrome gown with a long trail, which was styled by Shaleena Nathani. Multiple celebrities such as Malaika Arora, Raashi Khanna, and Niharika Konidela dropped comments below Tamannaah’s Instagram post.
Tamannaah is a part of the Indian delegation led by Information & Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur. He walked the Cannes red carpet with actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui and R Madhavan, music composer A R Rahman, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, and lyricist and censor board chief Prasoon Joshi. Minister Anurag Thakur made a pitch for India becoming a "content hub of the world" and the preferred "post production hub" for global filmmakers.
Actor Akshay Kumar, too, was scheduled to walk the red carpet but he announced that he could not since he tested positive for the coronavirus. “Was really looking forward to rooting for our cinema at the India Pavilion at #Cannes2022, but have sadly tested positive for Covid. Will rest it out. Loads of best wishes to you and your entire team, @ianuragthakur. Will really miss being there,” the tweet read.
A historic moment as India the 1st ‘Country of Honour’ at Marche Du Films @Festival_Cannes gets set to manifest into the ‘content hub of the world and the preferred ‘post production hub’ for global film makers. pic.twitter.com/GNHm1jWIiB
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) May 17, 2022
Was really looking forward to rooting for our cinema at the India Pavilion at #Cannes2022, but have sadly tested positive for Covid. Will rest it out. Loads of best wishes to you and your entire team, @ianuragthakur. Will really miss being there.
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) May 14, 2022
Actor Urvashi Rautela made her Cannes debut in a white off-shoulder ruffle gown. Pooja Hegde, who is yet to walk the red carpet of the festival, shared a video where the Beast actor is seen in a black skirt and white top. Apart from Pooja and Tamannaah, the Indian delegates at the 75th Cannes Film Festival include Ricky Kej, Vani Tripathi, Prasoon Joshi, AR Rahman, R Madhavan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shekhar Kapur and folk singer Mame Khan. Actors Nayanthara and Hina Khan will also be reportedly making their debut at the film festival this year.
Actors Deepika Padukone, Tamannaah Bhatia, Pooja Hegde, and Urvashi Rautela, performed ghoomar ( traditional folk dance of Rajasthan) at the inauguration of the India pavilion at Cannes.
(With IANS inputs)