File photo of Amitabh Bachchan breezing through the French Riviera, 2002

While Bollywood glamour has been flashing on the Cannes red carpet, concluding today, as many as 1,845 Indian films were rejected this year by the festival’s decision-makers
Khalid Mohamed (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 25, 2019)

Sipping on a fruit smoothie, offseason on the French Riviera’s Croisette, Amitabh Bachchan had asked seriously, “So what does it take to get one of our films to compete at Cannes?”

“A serious theme and plenty of marketing,” an aide had replied succinctly, Bachchan had nodded, non-committally, and had completed his breakfast with a croissant.

This was circa 2002. Bachchan was travelling through Paris-Nice-Cannes-Monte Carlo in connection with the release of a fragrance named after him. Whether the superstar ever followed up the Cannes reverie, is doubtful – since no film of his has ever competed for the award of awards, the Palme D’Or.

Along with his The Great Gatsby co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, he did announce the opening of the event in 2013.

Despite constant grouses by trackers of the world’s most in profile international film festival, the Cannes bosses have still not opened the floodgates of its Palais des Festivals for Indian cinema.

In fact, this year – the 72nd edition of the event which ends today — marked a new low. A sizeable number of 1,845 films were submitted for consideration. None made the cut, except for the short film Afternoon Clouds directed by the Pune Film Institute graduate Payal Kapadia.

Neither was any filmmaker or actor included on the jury unlike Chetan Anand, Mrinal Sen, Shekhar Kapur, Mira Nair, Sharmila Tagore, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Nandita Das and Vidya Balan in earlier years.

Mira Nair, whose debut-making Salaam Bombay! way back in 1988 had bagged the Camera D’Or as well as the Audience Award, lately remarked in an interview, “The tastes and agendas of the selection committee and that of Indian cinema don’t necessarily align.” Quite.

Perhaps the usually feisty director was being polite. Without a doubt, she was left chagrined when her widely-hosannaed films Monsoon Wedding (2001) and The Namesake (2006) had been rejected. Ironically, Monsoon Wedding picked up the Golden Lion at the Venice festival.

Indefatigably, the late New Delhi critic, radio broadcaster and government civil servant, Indra Mohan Sahai, had addressed the festival’s then-President, Gilles Jacob, time and again about “the all to apparent prejudice” against Indian entries. To a degree, Jacob and the current President Pierre Lescure, did attempt to remedy this criticism but in fits and starts.

Suddenly Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas (2002) was showcased to mixed response among the Cannes cognoscenti. Steadily the Bollywood set, among them Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Karan Johar and Preity Zinta, began fetching up for photo-ops at the Cannes famed Carlton Hotel.

Last year, Nandita Das’ Manto in the Un Certain Regard section and Rohena Gera’s Sir in the Critics’ Week had at the very least, stirred the attention of the festival goers.

Meanwhile over time, in lieu of Indian films, high-profile Bollywood heroines have been making a splash on the red carpet, merci beaucoup to top global beauty product conglomerates and fashion houses.

Cannes, then, in the public mind, is associated with the haute couture cool displayed most notably by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor. Ditto Priyanka Chopra. This time around, Kangana Ranaut, Deepika Padukone, Hina Khan, Huma Qureshi and the irrepressible Mallika Sherawat received their share of the paparazzi’s flash bulbs on the red carpet.

Director Anurag Kashyap and his team gained their share of the Riviera limelight with the screening of Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012). Four years ago, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan, became an exception to the Cannes rule, by being laureled in the Un Certain Regard section besides bagging the FIPRESCI award, adjudged by the International Film Federation of Film Critics.

Yet, there’s no gainsaying that Cannes hasn’t opened up hidden masterworks by indie and rising auteurs of Indian cinema. Shyam Benegal flanked by his Nishant (1975) stars Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, had made an impact. But were many of Benegal’s subsequent films screened there? No.

Ray’s Ghare Baire (1984) and Mrinal Sen’s Genesis (1986) did compete for the Palme D’Or, in vain.

Indian films which have aced Cannes are few and far between. Besides Masaan and Salaam Bombay!, count Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox (2013) declared as the Critics’ Week Viewers Choice, Murali Nair’s short film Marana Simhasanam (1999) lavished with the Camera D’Or for a debut director and Mrinal Sen’s Kharij (1982) presented the Special Jury prize.

Ray’s Pather Panchali (1956) was recognised as the Best Human Document, Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zameen (1954) was saluted with the Prix Internationale, V. Shantaram’s Amar Bhopali (1951) was thumbed up for Excellence in Sound Recording, and Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar was garlanded with the Grand Prix du Internationale du Film (the earlier name for Palme D’Or).

How many milestones of our cinema, in the last seven decades, have gone cavalierly ignored at Cannes is another story.

Perhaps the key reason for this rebuff is the fact that the nation’s meaningful cinema has been hardly marketed and promoted if at all. The National Film Development Corporation does set up a stall — complete with free cups of teas and samosas — at the Marche du Film. But do the spends of the ever-enlargening delegations fructify in monetary deals? Debatable.

To conclude on a positive note, here’s wishing Cannes unconditionally embraces the best of our quality cinema — and there’s plenty of that, I can assure you, compared to the best of Hollywood or any Wood.

And then who knows? Mr Bachchan will no longer have to ask, “What does it take to compete at Cannes?”


Richa Chadha, Neeraj Ghaywan, Shweta Tripathi and Vicky Kaushal at Cannes where their film Masaan premiered on May 19, 2015


Shyam Benegal with his Nishant actors Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil