Sonam Kapoor responds to reel mother Shabana Azmi’s subtle swipe at Bollywood’s fashion parade at the Cannes Film Festival
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; May 24, 2017)

Fashionable red carpet appearances often tend to overshadow the work of filmmakers at the Cannes Film Festival, something that seems to have irked Shabana Azmi. Recently, the veteran actress posted a photograph with co-star Smita Patil and director Shyam Benegal from her 1976 French Riviera tour where they promoted their film, Nishant. She wrote, ‘The simplicity of it all. Film was important not the clothes! (sic).’

However, Bollywood’s resident fashionista Sonam Kapoor hardly agrees with Shabana, who played mother to her in Neerja (2016). Speaking to mid-day from Cannes, Sonam says, “I don’t think fashion has taken precedence over films. I am representing a cosmetic brand here and it only makes sense to do my make-up and hair. I would be dressing up differently if I were here for a film.”

Perplexed over reasons behind only a handful of films from India travelling to the festival, Sonam says, “Our market is completely different from that of the rest of the world. In recent years, we have had films like Dangal, Neerja and others finding success despite not following the typical Bollywood formula. But I think when a project is tagged as a ‘festival film’, the producers are under the impression that it might not be a commercial success.”

She is quick to cite the example of Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire (2008), which was a festival hit and earned commercial success, as an exception.

Sonam, who has been turning heads at Cannes with her sartorial statements as part of her endorsement deal with a beauty brand, adds that she doesn’t feel the pressure of walking the red carpet, “The whole point is to have fun, look good and just have a good time. I don’t take myself too seriously. In fact, I sleep really well a night before such a big event, and it always works for me.”