Sonam Kapoor, Freida Pinto and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan burnt the red carpet at the Cannes Film festival. But it was Vidya Balan’s nosepin that had the world reeling. Add to that Big B’s emotional speech in Hindi and suddenly it was Bollywood Talkies in the 63rd edition of the festival. Deebashree Mohanty speaks with Balan and others to get you the inside picture
I don’t know why the nose pin has not received positive views in India. It was quite a rage in the French Riviera. I had to give out details to so many Hollywood celebs, everyone wanted to have one,” Balan says. She adds that her nath drove in the Indian viewpoint at the Cannes festival.
“I knew people would show up in Indian attires with Indian accessories like a jooti or a chappal. I wanted to do it differently and yet retain the Indian flavour. That’s why the nosepin,” the 36-year-old actress who received a lot of accolades for her daring role in Dirty Picture and Kaahani, tells you. She says, the look was very much in sync with the theme — Bollywood’s 100 years of cinema.
“We lent a whole new perspective to world cinema and that is the reason why Westerners root for our culture. I was in tears when Big B, a father figure for me, made his speech in Hindi. Mere raungte khade hogaye thhe (I had goosepimples). I felt so so proud of being Indian,” Balan says emotionally.
For Sonam Kapoor, who walked the red carpet for the second time at Cannes, Bollywood’s contribution to world cinema is more romantic and soft. “We are pioneers of melodrama. That is how we complete world cinema. People in the West relate to our grandeur and the emotions we display on screen,” Kapoor said in an email.
She may have lost 80 kg in a matter of months but Kapoor still got sleepless nights over the thought of walking the red carpet at Cannes. “I get nervous each time I have to walk on that red carpet with the paparazzi clicking away. I get the nagging feeling that the world is watching. One wrong step, one frown and one stain on the dress could be a major setback. It could mean your doom,” she says. Kapoor who is a brand ambassador of l’Oreal was at this event to promote her latest film Ranjhana.
“I play the simple girl-next-door. I am nowhere close to the character in real life but I enjoyed taking up the challenge. I have spent many nights rehearsing Zoya. Now I feel she is an integral part of me. Ranjhana is a fun film,” Kapoor says. Apart from promoting her film at Cannes, Kapoor also roamed the streets to pick up the latest fashion trends. “It is impossible not to shop here,” she says.
Agrees Frieda Pinto who is a shopoholic too. “When you are in the French Riviera, you gotta shop, shop, shop. I pick up a lot of accessories from these markets. They are out of the world. As for clothes, I keep an eye on the design then ask my designer to create something similar. I like wearing something that fits perfectly,” Pinto tells you. She is a seasoned walker at Cannes and enjoys all the attention she gets here.
While the two ladies have “zillion things in common”, there is a certain colour that binds them too. Mauve and shades of it is completely them. “Oh! I have some 12 shades of mauve in my wardrobe. It suits my type. Not very outlandish nor very sober. I have a weakness for fluorescent colours,” Kapoor says, adding that she had no plans of becoming a fashion icon. “I am a normal person who picks up normal clothes from normal stores. Maybe that’s what young girls like about me. They know it is fashion that is friendly and accessible,” the 24-year-old actress tells you.
Pinto is happy with the way things are going even though there are no Bollywood plans yet. “I take things slow. Not too good at multitasking,” she says.
While Pinto is in no dash for Bollywood, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wants to spend as much time with her daughter Aaradhya as possible.
“It’s all thanks to my daughter who keeps me on my toes 24x7, that I have come back to shape. I just want to take time out to enjoy her growing-up years,” Ash replies to our email. As for her Cannes experience, Ash says that this year she was confident that her Saab gown will do the trick.
“It takes a lot of guts to break from tradition but this time round, I wanted to experiment with a splash of colour. I am glad it all worked out for me. This place is special and I want to make every visit memorable,” Ash tells you. She ditched the western look for the Bollywood Night wat Cannes, the former Miss World was seen in a black Sabyasachi saree.
“He knows best when it comes to Indian. So I stuck with him,” the beautiful mother says.
Sonam got it right with her Indian attire as well. The lehenga-choli had not been experimented with from a long time and the creation got a spark at Cannes.
“It was a risky move but I knew people will fall for the net choli ghagra.
“ It was ethnic yet modern and contemporary. Many Hollywood celebrities complimented me,” Kapoor says.