The Indian film glitterati was on a mission at the 66th Cannes Film Festival—to show that their industry is more than just Bollywood and that it seriously wants to create a global footprint in its centenary year.
Indian cinema is often dismissed as lengthy, song-and-dance spectacle, however the Indian contingent was the largest to date at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and was spurred into action to promote India as a place to make films and win massive audience as well as to showcase a new wave of film-making.
India’s Information & Broadcast secretary, Uday Kumar Varma, took the opportunity to highlight the initiatives to make India an attractive film destination for other film industries. Varma said that the ministry was setting up a “Single Window Clearance” mechanism for foreign production houses interested in shooting films within India. In this context, a special committee had also been set up by the Ministry to review the mandate and functioning of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) so as to enable it to deal with contemporary requirements of certification. He also added that in order to enable young independent filmmakers to showcase their work, the Ministry was intending to create special screening facilities to endorse cinematic hubs.
The Indian Pavilion at the Cannes held panel discussions on contemporary issues related to Indian Cinema including breaking barriers in filmmaking and its current scenario. Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee , Zoya Akhtar and independent directors like Ritesh Batra and Amit Kumar were some of the participants.
Indian cinema is often dismissed as lengthy, song-and-dance spectacle, however the Indian contingent was the largest to date at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and was spurred into action to promote India as a place to make films and win massive audience as well as to showcase a new wave of film-making.
India’s presence was high-profile since the start of the 12-day festival with acting legend Amitabh Bachchan on the red carpet on the opening night of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. Actress Vidya Balan also walked the red carpet as one of nine members of a jury led by U.S. filmmaker Steven Spielberg that will decide the Palme D’Or award for best picture on the final day, May 26. A gala dinner to mark Indian cinema’s centenary was held on Sunday attended by stars like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor and Freida Pinto.
Yet for all the style there was very little substance at the French Riviera. The most prestigious section of Cannes is the official competition– the Palme d’Or or the Golden Palm– the biggest award of the festival. There are 20 films competing in this section. While Balan is on the jury there is no other entry from India. In fact, the last Indian film in the section was Swahamby Shaji N. Karun in 1994. There is also no Indian film in the second competition–Un Certain Regard where Ashim Ahluwalia’s Miss Lovelyparticipated last year.
The Cannes Critics Week is an independent parallel section of the festival organised by the French Syndicate of Film Critics. Only seven first or second feature films of directors from all over the world are chosen for a competition in this section. These films compete for the Grand Prix and Visionary Jury award. Ritesh Batra’s Dabba (Lunchbox) will compete for these two prizes.
Directors’ Fortnight is also a parallel section of the festival organised by French Directors’ Guild. Anurag Kashyap’s Ugly will be screened in this section. Directors’ Fortnight is a non competitive section. This is the second consecutive year for Kashyap at the Fortnight. His two-part Gangs of Wasseypur was screened here last year.
Batra’s Dabba< and Amit Kumar’s Monsoon Shootout will also compete for the Camera d’Or award, which is given to the best debut film of the festival across sections.
Batra’s Dabbaand Amit Kumar’s Monsoon Shootout will also compete for the Camera d’Or award, which is given to the best debut film of the festival across sections. There are only two Indian films which are in the official selection of the 66th Cannes Film Festival—Bombay Talkies which commemorated hundred years of Bollywood and Monsoon Shootout, it is a story of a rookie cop in Mumbai who faces a life-altering decision on his first assignment. There is also a competition for short films at Cannes, and whilst there is no Indian film in competition, actress Nandita Das is part of the jury that will select the winner. Cannes also organises a market for short films, and 41 Indian short films are registered at the Short Film Corner this year.
Cannes regularly showcases films from previous years in open air beach screenings. Bollywood: The greatest love stories ever told directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and produced by Shekhar Kapur will be shown in this section. Satyajit Ray’s Charulatawas screened in the Cannes Classics, a section dedicated to restored classics of world cinema.
India is the third country to be invited as a guest after Brazil and Egypt. According to Thierry Frémaux, the Artistic Director of Cannes film festival, it was a way to pay homage and celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema while maintaining a continuous dialogue with a great country of cinema. He admitted that the West has always considered Indian cinema as a mélange of great Auteur films of extremely talented directors like Satyajit Ray and of a popular cinema represented by Bollywood. But it is delightful to see that a crop of new directors and producers, who grew up with the likes of Martin Scorsese, are bringing fresh air into Indian Cinema.
By Dhanya Nair
