Cannes, Then & Now
Shabana, why aren’t we winning anything at Cannes?
Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar, Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali ,Mira Nair’s Salam Bombay ,Vikramaditya Motwane’s Udaan have all won at Cannes. But you are right they are too few and far in between. In fact very few get selected in the Competition section at all.BothShyam Benegal’s Nishant and Mrinal Sen’s Genesis were exceptions.
You featured in both Nishant and Genesis. And you went to Cannes?
That was much later and I couldn’t go.The first time when I went to Cannes in 1976 we were sanctioned only 8 USD as the official amount we could carry individually.We used to eat a hearty breakfast which was included in the hotel tarrif and survive on french fries the rest of the day like bhukkads.We were dismayed when for some reason the publicity material didn’t arrive and we had no money to host parties or make our presence felt. Shyam hit upon an idea. He asked Smita and me to wear our best Kanjeevarams and parade up and down the promenade! Heads did turn and we would walk up earnestly and say, ‘Please come for our screening’. We aroused enough curiosity and amusement but we had a packed house!
Why didn’t you attend when Genesis and Nishant were shown?
In 1986 I was to leave for Cannes with Mrinal Sen for Genesis but I opted out the night I was to leave and sat on a hunger strike on behalf of our organization Nivara Hakk for five days along with AnandPatwardhan and three slum dwellers demanding alternative accommodation for a slum in Colaba that had been demolished to make way for a MLA hostel. Five days later Shashi Kapoor went to the then-CM SB Chavan and negotiated on behalf of Nivara Hakk. We won and the slumdwellers did get land. I will always remain grateful to Shashiji for that.
When did you finally attend Cannes in luxury?
Years later I was invited to present an award at Cannes and stayed at the majestic Carlton hotel which I used to pass by longingly when we went there for Nishant! Cannes is an important festival and the films that win are usually outstanding. It is also an important market. Alas! We are obsessed with who what wore instead of the films! Sure the media has succeeded in hyping up the clothes worn on the red carpet – fashion brands that have leading stars as brand ambassadors spend a fortune on showcasing them which is fine but at the end of the day, the best representation can only be when your film is selected in the official section and when your film succeeds in making some sales in which Indian films have started to make a mark
A film of yours is being screened in Cannes this year as well?
We had a screening of The Black Prince on Sunday and the leading man Satinder Sartaj was quite the belle of the ball because it was the first time a man in a turban was walking the red carpet!
I believe you also did your dose of protest on the red carpet?
I was very annoyed when a few years ago it was published that the Festival authorities had ruled you couldn’t walk the red carpet in flats! Mercifully there was a huge hue and cry, I expressed my displeasure strongly too and the missive was hastily withdrawn!

Exclusive Premium Content
Aamir Khan’s Sister Plays Shah Rukh’s Mother In Pathaan

Ever since Pathaan released on Wednesday, audiences have been curious to know who is the woman who plays Shah Rukh Khan’s adoptive mother in Afghanistan. The stately lady with royal looks is none other than the late producer Tahir Hussain’s daughter and Aamir Khan’s elder sister Nikhat Khan.
Nikhat has been closely associated with the film industry and has helped her father in the production of his films like Dulha Bikta Hai and Tum Mere Ho.
Nikhat has acted earlier in the Akshay Kumar starrer Mission Mangal , Ajay Devgan’s Tanhaji and in Sandh Ki Aankh(as a Maharani).
For Pathaan, it was Shah Rukh Khan who suggested Nikhat Khan should play his foster-mother in Afghanistan who names him ‘Pathaan’. It proved to be an inspired piece of casting, as audience have loved Nikhat Khan’s cameo.
It is heartwarming that all three Khan superstars are associated with Pathaan in one way or the other.
Exclusive Premium Content
Anurag Kashyap’s New Film Is About Love Jihad

Love Jihad, whatever that means, is the theme of Anurag Kashyap’s new film Almost Pyaar With D J Mohabbat.
Debutant Karan Mehta plays a Muslim boy in an intense relationship with Alaya F who plays a Hindu girl.Kashyap has spared the audience none of the ugliness that such a relationship generates among social-media bouncers, the self-styled guardian of morality .
In the hardhitting powerful and pertinent film a bigot is heard commenting snidely, “These people first talk about Mohabbat. Then they talk about Mohammed.”
Happily and surprisingly, the Central Board Of Film Certification gave the film a ‘UA’ certificate with no cuts: a rare non-‘A’ film of Kashyap.
So far Kashyap and his team have kept the Love Jihad part of the plot out of all media interaction.
But the cat is now out of the bag.
Exclusive Premium Content
Samantha Ruth Prabhu to Star Alongside Varun Dhawan in Prime Video’s Indian Original Series , Samantha Speaks

Samantha Ruth Prabhu will be starring alongside Varun Dhawan in the Indian installment of the Citadel universe, the global-event series from Prime Video and the Russo Brothers’ AGBO. The untitled Citadel series based out of India is being helmed by renowned creator duo Raj & DK (Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK), who are the showrunners and directors.
The local installment is written by Sita R. Menon, along with Raj & DK. The streaming service also confirmed that the production is currently underway in Mumbai. After this, the unit will head to North India and then onwards to international locales like Serbia and South Africa.
Richard Madden (Bodyguard) and Priyanka Chopra Jonas will star in the first-to-launch series within the Citadel universe, which comes from the Russo Brothers’ AGBO along with David Weil (Hunters) and is set to premiere in 2023. Alongside Madden and Chopra Jonas, the first-to-launch Citadel series will also feature Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games saga). Additional local-language Citadel productions are also in the works, including an Italian Original series starring Matilda De Angelis (The Undoing).
Speaking on her participation in The Citadel franchise for the first time,Samantha says, “When Prime Video and Raj & DK approached me with this project, I decided to take it up in a heartbeat! After working with this team on The Family Man, it is homecoming for me.The Citadel universe, the interconnected storylines between the productions across the globe, and most importantly, the script of the Indian installment really excited me.”
Samantha says she is looking forward to working with Varun Dhawan . “I am thrilled to be a part of this brilliant universe conceptualised by the Russo Brothers. I am also looking forward to be working with Varun for the first time, on this project. He is someone who is full of life and cheer when you’re around him.”
Exclusive Premium Content
Bollywood’s Achche Din Have Come

All you doomsday prophets, the booms-day profits are here. Pathaan has opened the floodgates again for Bollywood’s bumper bonanza at the boxoffice.And now there is only the achche din ahead for Hindi cinema.
In the next two months there are three sureshot blockbusters coming up, beginning with Shehzada. An astute devilishly impish adaptation of Allu Arjun’s 2020 Telugu blockbuster Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo.The super-popular Kartik Aaryan gives his own spin to the character. This performance will take Kartik to the next level of stardom. Kartik’s version of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo is radically different from its Telugu version. Shehzada takes the core idea of the Telugu original and turns it into a something completely different. Kartik’s co-star in Shehzada is Kriti Sanon with whom he earlier shared superhit space in Lukka Chuppi.
Then there is Luv Ranjan’s ravishing rom-com Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. The director’s male viewpoint on the chaos of love relationships crests to a comic high in his latest. Ranjan for the first time, collaborates with Ranbir Kapoor for the first time collaborates with Shraddha Kapoor who badly needs a hit.This film should do the trick. The winsome lead pair tries to do one another in a game of Luv This is Luv Ranjan’s Hum…Aapke Hain Con. Ranjan has in the past used the romcom space to entertain his audience to the hilt, he says this time the stakes are different. It is not something we’ve seen before.
Finally it is Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. Karan Johar’s first directorial in six years(not counting the one segment each in Ghost Stories and Lust Stories). This time he has assembled a dream star-cast of Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Ranveer Singh and the boxoffice darling(s) Alia Bhatt. But trust me, this one is not about assembling stars into a complacent plot. The writing in this zany Romeo & Juliet is so crisp and engrossing, the experience is likely to be the visual version of a multi-flavour icrecream cone. Colour, choler and karma collide in this tragic-comic love story . Let the box office dhamaka begin from the house of Dharma.
-
Exclusive Premium Content1 week ago
Pathaan Is A Slick Spin On SRK’s Stardom
-
Exclusive Premium Content1 week ago
Chhatriwali So Earnest Yet So Awful
-
Exclusive Premium Content1 week ago
India Shines bright at the Oscars
-
Exclusive Premium Content1 week ago
No Leading Lady For Akshay Kumar In C Sankaran Nair Bio-pic
-
Bollywood News1 week ago
Undekhi A Dark Compelling Thriller Set In The Heartland
-
Exclusive Premium Content1 week ago
5 Most Relevant Patriotic Songs
-
Exclusive Premium Content1 week ago
“Professionally, What A Year It Has Been For Me,” Raveena Tandon On Her Padma Shri
-
Exclusive Premium Content1 week ago
Pathaan Collects 55 crore nett in India On Day 1
-
Exclusive Premium Content1 week ago
Will Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan Break All His Previous Records?
-
Exclusive Premium Content1 week ago
Salman-Shah Rukh’s Hilarious Take On The Khan Hegemony
-
Exclusive Premium Content6 days ago
Karan Johar Moves Alia Song From Switzerland To Kashmir
-
Exclusive Premium Content6 days ago
Bobby Deol’s Switchover To Villainous Roles
-
Exclusive Premium Content5 days ago
Jamuna Had A Love-Hate Relationship With Bollywood
-
Bollywood News1 week ago
Phil Ivey’s Net Worth (Updated 2021)
-
Bollywood News1 week ago
Stephanie Beacham’s Net Worth (Updated 2021)
-
Topics1 week ago
Movierulz 2021: Download Movies for Free
-
Topics1 week ago
Watch Gehraiyaan Movie (2022) Online on Amazon Prime Video
-
Bollywood News1 week ago
Mike Lindell’s Net Worth (Updated 2021)
-
Exclusive Premium Content4 days ago
Pink Director’s Next Featuring Yami As A Crime Reporter To Stream From February 16
-
Topics1 week ago
Happy New Year 2022: Memes, Wishes, Images, Quotes, Greetings For Family and Friends