For the last two decades, Bollywood’s leading ladies have made the Cannes red carpet their own. While Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been a regular for the last 17 years, Sonam Kapoor comes a close second with eight years of sartorial experiments. Deepika Padukone has been at the red carpet just once. Apart from that, Katrina Kaif, Vidya Balan, Mallika Sherawat and Nimrat Kaur have also been to the French Riviera over the years. Kangana Ranaut and Parvathy are now gearing up to make a mark on this international dais.

Speaking exclusively about her Cannes visit, Kangana told BT, “I’ve been invited to accompany Smriti Irani (Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting) and Prasoon Joshi (Chairman, Central Board of Film Certification) at the India Pavilion at Cannes this year.”

Kangana said, “One of my key purposes to be at Cannes is to attend a party meant for underlining the excellence in cinema and felicitating artistes from all over the globe. I’ve been chosen to represent India and our industry and the great work we’re doing here. On the other hand, there are plans for a conversation between Prasoon, Smriti ji and me, but we are yet to discuss that in detail. I’m just very happy about this opportunity. When I was younger, I just wanted to have a job and make a living. Today, I have come so far that I can occasionally represent my nation internationally. Besides this, there will be cover shoots with international magazines. I was recently in Los Angeles; my friends from there are planning to catch up with me at Cannes. The festival is a melting pot of cinema and probably, the best place to meet talent from other parts of the world.”

Cannes, as a festival, has a buzzing film market where projects find their eventual takers. It’s also seen as a platform for displaying the best in cinema, and making announcements about impending projects. However, often, the focus of coverage tends to lean towards fashion and red carpet appearances. Women, walking in fancy designer gowns, and men flashing their crisp suits, have often been more talked-about than the films on display at the festival. Bring this up with Kangana and she says, “The essence has become expression oriented — the focus is indeed on what you wear and speak and how you conduct yourself at events and discussions. I will put my best foot forward for the festival. We have an international stylist on board and apart from international looks; I will also wear something Indian at the red carpet since I am representing my country. However, focussing only on fashion at Cannes reduces its scope dramatically. It’s the same with artistes, when they are reduced to a glossy image and not seen as people with their own kind of potential. Cannes is a lot more than a mere redcarpet event.”

The actress hopes to have a lot of fun at the numerous parties being organised at the festival, which she will attend between May 9 and 11. More than anything else, Kangana admits she’s looking forward to interactions with budding filmmakers and studios to understand how they work on small budgets and create applause-worthy cinema.

“I am also an aspiring producer and director, perhaps I’ll write a film at some point. The Cannes visit will be a good learning experience because it will give me a sense of business, which I am clueless about even now. There’s world cinema, indie cinema and so much more to look at and grasp from. There’s so much that an aspiring filmmaker would want to learn more about. I really want to learn how studios and filmmakers independently penetrate markets purely on merit. With digitisation, the language of cinema has changed. I want to know what kind of cameras and natural lights filmmakers use, because often, their budgets are not very high and yet, the end result is brilliant.”

With this approach, the actress hopes to spark off a change in the way celebrities are co-related with Festival de Cannes. “Honestly, I have no understanding of how things work and I am too small an entity in the larger scheme of things to bring about that shift so soon. Maybe, in the years to come, as I go along, I would be able to make an impact as an artiste. It’s delusional for me to say that the change will be evident with my first visit. I think we are collectively tapping fashion, cerebral cinema, popular cinema, world cinema and indie films with so many of us making India’s presence stronger at Cannes. Many years ago, we were insignificant but today, the perception is so different; we’re more impactful in the larger picture,” Kangana points out.

Given that fashion critics are hawk-eyed on the Cannes red carpet, does the actress feel anxious about being judged for her sartorial choices? In the past, actresses from India have seldom been spared a dissection. “I definitely want to look my best, but I don’t want to look the best,” says Kangana with a giggle, adding, “That is where true fashion and expression comes from. It has to emanate from a good place and with good intentions. I don’t have to wear something that people term as the ‘outfit of the year’, but it has to enhance my personality. Making an impact – good, bad, ugly, shocking – is not my intention. I just wish that whatever I wear has a subtle connect with everyone watching me.”