Currently on a three-day visit to India, French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron spent the afternoon of February 17 with artistes of the Hindi film industry. The luncheon was attended by actors Manoj Bajpayee, Anil Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Richa Chadha, filmmakers Zoya Akhtar, and Neeraj Ghaywan, among others. Bajpayee, who was invited by the Consulate General of France in Mumbai to be part of the interaction, has walked away touched by the French President’s keen interest in the arts.    

Talking to mid-day, he shared, “The French President believes in the soft power of art. He wanted to meet the representatives of this film industry, mainly those who belong to the middle-of-the-road and independent cinema. President Macron is most graceful, and informal in his conversation. He gave complete attention to everyone who had a suggestion about the exchanges that can take place [between France and India].”

France, over the decades, has had a rich movie culture where independent cinema thrives. In contrast, indie films in India struggle to co-exist alongside the big-budget mainstream entertainers. That, Bajpayee revealed, was a key point of discussion as they spoke about cinema bridging the two countries.

“We talked about the crisis that independent cinema is facing in our country, and how the collaboration can help its growth. France is known for pursuing storytelling in its purest form. When you have a country like this, you know every suggestion is being paid heed to.”