The internet has been in an uproar with the latest tweet by Shabana Azmi. The actress tweeted two photos of her 1976 Cannes appearance with the caption: “In Cannes, 1976 for Nishant in official section. Film was important not the clothes!’ In another picture she says, “V had no money so Shyam made us walk down the promenade in saris”
It has long been the view of critics that movies have been placed on the back seat only to be replaced with the glitz, glamour and drama that is sure to follow when beauteous starlets from all over the world gather in one place.
While the words might sting, this is especially true for the Bollywood movies in the last few years. The focus from media has shifted heavily from the lack of Indian movies playing at Cannes to who wore what.
Deepika Padukone was caught lamenting about this in a recent interview, while Sonam Kapoor brushed this aside to mention that she won’t be wearing any Indian designers on the red carpet but gosh, is she excited about representing India nonetheless!
In fact, forget being considered for the Palme d’or, only 3 Indian films are being screened at the Cannes this year. Also to be noted, Payal Kapadia’s Afternoon Clouds is one of the 16 contenders in the Cinefondation competition for film schools world-over. Thus perhaps Sonam should be a tad bit concerned with how people are focused on her neckline and not on the glaring absence of Indian movies being featured at a ‘movie’ festival.
Nevertheless, one must also appreciate how far Bollywood has come. Gone are the days when, Indian actresses would need to parade in saris to be recognized in foreign lands. These actresses now have made their mark both locally and internationally. Here’s hoping that Shabana’s words have the impact that’s necessary to turn things around for Bollywood and its actors.