Abhilash Thapliyal is all set to make his debut at the Cannes Film Festival and the actor-RJ cannot believe it.

“I have not even been invited to film awards back home and I am going to this level directly! Mujhe Ranji khelna nahin aata aur seedha international match khelne ke liye bhej diya! Main Cannes as a fashion icon nahin jaa raha hoon, kaam se jaa raha hoon. Kaise pose karna hoga, kahaan khada hona hoga... kuch nahin pata. Slouch na karun warna social media pe log gaaliyaan denge. I am nervous about all this,” says Thapliyal, adding, “As far as my outfit is concerned, I come from Uttarakhand and I want to carry that flavour to the red carpet. I am still figuring things out.”

The 32-year-old will be in attendance for the premiere of his upcoming film, helmed by Anurag Kashyap (filmmaker).

“I have just got lucky with directors like him, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Navdeep Singh and Ajay Bahl. Neither am I a trained actor, nor an insider. I came from nowhere. Maine sapne mein bhi nahin socha tha that something like Cannes Film Festival would happen to me. Till recently, I was learning how to pronounce the name correctly,” he smiles.

So, what does he plan to do in France? Does he have a wishlist? “There is no list,” says the Aspirants (2021) actor, adding, “I am going and coming back fast. I don’t want to explore that place without my wife, Anubhuti. Right now, I am just going for the premiere.”