Why Is Mallika Sherawat Seen At Cannes Every Year?

The shocking truth about Indian cinema at the Cannes film festival is , everything we  sent this year  for  consideration  was rejected unceremoniously.

 While  the  polite version of  the snub says the content sent  was unsuitable, the more  straightforward  truth is, they found our films to be  crap this year.

Rather than   hanging our heads in shame at the rejection, or inversely, defiantly wondering why  it makes a  fig of a  difference  to us whether Cannes approves or not, why are we  so obsessed with women (mind you, not men) walking the red carpet?

The last week all the portals and papers in India went on and on  about  the Bollywood actresses who walked the red carpet, their gowns, accessories, etc etc.But what  about the films? What were Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam KAhuja,  Deepika  Padukone and Mallika Sherawat representing at Cannes apart from themselves? Where was  the cinema? Last year Nandita Das  took her Manto the Cannes.This year  there was  nothing.

 Nobody cared.

Mallika’s case is specially intriguing. Her career  hit  rockbottom many years ago. She is  still a Cannes regular .What  does she  go there for? Why do the  cameras click her on the red carpet?Do they even  know who she is?

That very fine actor Imaamulhaq(seen in notable  films like Filmistaan, Airlift, Phullu and the forthcoming Nakkash)  has a hilarious  experiences to  share at Cannes. “I went  to  the Cannes film festival last year representing  my filmNakkash. And  I was thrilled  to  walk the red carpet. But believe me, not a single camera clicked me. I was disheartened. Then I  realized they  clicked every lady who walked the red carpet, spoke to them about their gown ,etc , but nothing  about their films. Then I  realized, this was  not about cinema. It  was  about gowns. If I had known  I’d have put on a gown and  gone  to the festival.”