Nandita Das has been to the Cannes Film Festival twice before, in 2005 she was on the main jury and eight years later, in 2013, she was on the short film jury. What makes the trip to the French Riviera different this year is that she is looking to raise funds for the biopic of literary icon Saadat Hasan Manto she is directing. “I want it to be a truly global film so I have more creative freedom,“ says Nandita, stepping out of a meeting in Cannes to speak to Mirror.

She admits that she's still working on the first draft of the script and there will be many more drafts in this evolving process of writing, insisting that she won't go on floors till she is completely satisfied. “But I have done an overview and created a photo essay so I can share visuals and information about the project. And the response has been amazing. I know the journey won't be completed in a day and I've been here just two days but I'd like to start shooting by early next year if I can arrange for the funds,“ she says hopefully. On her first day, Nandita walked the red carpet in a shimmering gold sari and saw the opening film, Emanuelle Bercot's Standing Tall. But after that she's been caught up in a series of meetings. There's also an initiative, Women In Motion, which has caught her attention and she wants to get involved.

“There's a lot of glam and razzmatazz here, plenty of photo opportunities. But there's also space for good cinema and a respect for directors, who are the real stars,“ she points out.

Nandita is elated that many European producers have shown a keen interest in her film. But she's also
looking for an Indian partner since the cast will be from India, though no one has been finalised yet. It will also be shot here.

“I want a Pakistani producer too since like India, Pakistan too claims Manto as its own. So this could become a true Indo-Pak collaboration,“ she signs off, returning to the meeting.