Estimated reading time: 14 minutes
Anupama Chopra starts the show and speaks that today’s episode is very special as she will take the show to Cannes Film Festival.
Guests on the show: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kamal Hassan, Sonam Kapoor, Ranvir Shorey, Shashank Arora, Kanu Behl,and Uday Chopra.
* Anupama’s Review of the movie Heropanti:
Anupama first gives review of the movie Heropanti starring Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sannon. She says that the movie presents Tiger Shroff skills like dance, action, and also we see his screen presence. Tiger’s acting seems to have some minor flaws but he is definitely looks a star in the movie. She says that movie has lot of masala, action scenes, strong background music more than needed and these are the highlights of the movie.
The movie has lots of actions, women with not much acting role, and good songs which have not been utilized well. She gives 2 stars because she is happy with Tiger’s work and eagerly waits for his next movie.
Audience feedback on Heropanti:
– A girl says that Tiger shroff and Kriti Sannon acting are good.
– Another girl suggests that Tiger rocks in Heropanti just as his father who excelled in the movie Hero.
* Anupama speaks on Cannes Film Festival; History of Indian Films at Cannes and Selection
Anupama speaks on film festivals and talks about Cannes film festival which is one of the best film festivals of the world. Cannes is a small city in the south of France where actors and film makers come from different parts of the world and movies are screened at the film festival. Even, new films are bought and sold after negotiations here. Also, new films are announced and fans come in large numbers to see their stars. Every night, there is a gala screening and there are parties everywhere even at yachts in the mediterranean sea and its full of lavish and luxuries. But most importantly, the movies that are shown there reflects the changing landscape of the international film industry and even has effect on their recognition in terms of awards like Oscars.
Anupama carries forward the show by showing her visit to Cannes where she stayed for some days during the festival. She says that spend last few days in a fast forward mode and have seen many movies and also interviewed top stars at the festival. But, before than speaks on the Indian connection and history with Cannes fest (Festival De Cannes). Every year for 10 days in May, actors and film makers come here to celebrate their movies and the city Cannes receive around 25,000 to 30,000 people every year during the fest time. At the first Cannes festival in 1946, Indian connection had started with the movie – Neecha Nagar from director Chetan Anand and it won a special award at that time. During the year 1951, Raj Kapoor’s Awaara and in 1953, Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zameen also featured in main competition section. In 156, Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali won the human documentary award and also got nominated for Cannes’ top prize Palme’ de Or. For the next three decades, Indian films continue to win accolades at the festival but until now no Indian movie has received the top honor which is Palme D’Or. However, two movies Garam Hawa and Shyam Benegal’s Nishant were shown in the competition section of the Cannes Fest which was a proud moment.
In the ensuing years, Indian films featuring there came to a halt and only in 1984, Swaham (Destinee in french) was featured there and after that only in 2002, Devdas was featured and shown there. There were some news that Critics didn’t like Devdas and even left in the middle of its screening but Aishwarya Rai was recognized there and the appreciation for her was returned by inviting her as a jury member for the next year 2003 Cannes fest. She was the first Indian actress to be a part of jury at that time. Sooner then, Bollywood actress started to make a mark on Cannes’ red-carpet but the Indian films continue to not flourish there as they were featured in the open market there and not in the competition round. Vikram Aditya motwane’s Udaan also didn’t feature in the official selection in 2010. Last year, Vidya Balan has served as the jury member and two Indian movies was shown in the official selection. For this year only one Indian movie – Titli from director Kanu Behl was chosen for official selection and screening. Anyways, Indian films have again started to make mark in the international Arena with our directors and actors trying unique and different concepts. Hopefully, we will succeed more in the coming years.
* Anupama’s conversation with top actresses, actors, filmmakers in Cannes and her interview with some of them are shown on her show.
Anupama spoke with top-actresses and asks them why Cannes is special to them ?
Anupama first speaks with Bollywood actress and superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at a hotel close to the Cannes beach. She speaks that Aishwarya is coming to Cannes for the last 13 years, and ask her, What does she take as an actor from here ?
Aishwarya: speaks that she is coming from 13 years and there are lot of memories attached and have a lot of experience and this place has lots of creativity.
Anupama asks her about the movies that she has chosen to work next, Mani Ratnam and Sanjay Gupta ?
Aishwarya: She says that two movies with Mani Ratnam and Sanjay Gupta’s movies are announced and chosen. She also talks that she is also seeing other director’s script and tells Anupama that whenever she looks at her, she gets reminded of her husband Vidhu Vinod Chopra and says that she will hopefully work with him in near future. She speaks that Sanjay Gupta’s movie script which is an action movie came to her first and then she met him and agreed after she liked the idea.
Anupama speaks on the dress that Aishwarya currently wearing and which she wore at the red carpet ? She speaks that now her dress will come under media scrutiny in India and people will comment on her dress? Anupama asks whether she is worried about it ?
Aishwarya: says that she is not bothered about her dresses and what people speak about it. She says that people speak lot of red carpet in Cannes. But, she says that she goes to many places as it is her job. She speaks that she always go with her daughter Aaradhya when she visits foreign places and she haven’t left her thus she brought Aaradhya to Cannes this year and also last year.
Anupama now speaks with Bollywood actress and Star Sonam Kapoor:
Anupama: speaks that Sonam is coming to Cannes since 4 years, and asks about her experience in coming to Cannes ?
Sonam: says that she gets exposure internationally and people recognize her and speaks that now people recognize her when she goes outside. She speaks that when they reach international platforms, we observe movies from different Hollywood and international filmmakers.
Anupama: speaks on her dress which she wore last year and this year and how it comes under media scrutiny a lot with some people appreciating it and also some people are not liking it.
Sonam: speaks that she does what she thinks and her rule of life – Jo Dar Gaya Wo Margaya (The one who becomes afraid will die). Anupama laughs.. Sonam says that if you think a lot, then you will become self-conscious a lot and even don’t look at Camera or mirrors on sets as she will be distracted and that it impact the performance. She goes on to say that she cannot change her looks and laughingly says that she doesn’t believe in plastic surgery. She says she is happy about her clothes and make-up.
Anupama speaks on the only Indian film that was chosen in the Cannes film festival official ‘Un Certain regard’ selection and that movie is Titli directed by Kanu Behl. She spoke with the director of Titli – Kanu, and actors Ranvir Shorey and Shashank Arora and asks them how does it feel to get an official selection in Cannes with their first film. Titli trailer is shown then on the show and the movie is yet to released in India though officially released and screened in Cannes on 20th May 2014.
Anupama welcomes them and speaks that Titli is the only Indian film to make into the official selection of Cannes. Anupama asks what they feel after knowing that their film got selected into the Cannes selection?
Kanu Behl [director of Titli (Butterfly in English)]: speaks that during last year in November for the Goa Film Bazaar people from Cannes have seen his movie first cut. At that time, movie editing was underway and movie was just completed half and they thought the movie has chances to go for Cannes selection. From then until now, he was busy into making the movie and wanting to improve it further. He didn’t got much time to understand all the things that happen so fast regarding the selection.
Anupama speaks with Shashank about the film and says Titli is his first movie as an actor and also speaks that his role was difficult. She asks how he managed to pull such a role ?
Shashank: speaks that Kanu and Atul were there and whenever he drifted from his path he was shown the right direction by them. He says that it took some time ti dvelve into the character but then he got it right.
Anupama speaks about Ranvir’s experience with the film?
Ranvir: speaks that when he read the script, he liked it a lot, and after that he spoke with Kanu to get more clarity. He speaks about the character Vikram in the movie and says that though he is not like Vikram in his personal life but he knows well the underpinnings of that character.
Anupama now speaks with veteran actor and superstar Kamal Hassan:
Kamal Hassan: speaks that he has the same experience of cinematic one. He got the knowledge from cinemas and he learnt only from films as he didn’t belong to film school. He also learnt from his friends in the film industru.
Anupama: speaks how will he translate and take the international experience into Indian films ?
Kamal ji: He says he gets inspired both as an actor and director.
Anupama asks what advice does he give to his daughters ?
Kamal ji: speaks that he doesn’t give advice to his daughter and actually giving advice
is a nuisance. He says that Shruti has done some mistakes and also done right things ayt her age and also regards her more wise than him.
Anupama: speaks on the dangers of choosing wrong films by his daughters and ask about his fear ?
Kamal Hassan: speaks that he is not afraid because you can’t teach them like a school and also she is not a child anymore. She loves him and he loves her, and his help doesn’t direct her career.
Anupama now speaks with actor/film producer Uday Chopra
She asks him, How does it feel to walk on the red carpet of Cannes ?
Uday: speaks that he is just a common man from Mumbai and suddenly he is walking on the red carpet and in the company of actresses Nicole Kidman and Paz Vega and he has grown by seeing them. He says that he used to love their movies. He was shocked initially and then he became happy and was enjoying the moment.
Anupama asks Uday that now he feels that acting is now his hobby not careers, she asks him why he took that decision ?
Uday: says that what he thought about acting he didn’t got. He says that every person wants to reach a position say atleast in top-10 actors but after some years he realized that he will not be able to reach that position. He then thought that he can work in movies like essaying the role of Ali in Dhoom series but that will not give much happiness. Hence, he wanted to do something else to get more happy and reach a higher position.
Anupama speaks on Fashion and Beauty at Cannes and Indian Actresses fashion styles and Critics Review
Anupama speaks on the fashion at Cannes film festival and tells about the Indian presence on the red-carpet of Cannes. Anupama speaks that Cannes fest provides opportunities for both fashion and films and says that 3,000 journalists come to cover the fest and the dresses worn by actors/stars on the red-carpet reaches the entire world with photos and coverage in news magazine, online media and newspapers. She speaks on the rules of the fest. Even the photographers need to wear Tuxedo as it is a must formal dress and the invitees will not be given entrance if they didn’t wear the dress according to the rules. She says that Indian actress experiments a lot on their dress here and recalls that Vidya Balan has wore Sarees designed Hindustani dresses by Indian designer Sabysachi. Vidya was also a jury member of last year’s film fest, during last year’s festival, Vidya dress covered her head on the first day while on the second day, she wore a nose ornament(challa). Vidya’s dresses were disliked by many and even the designer Sabyasachi himself felt very bad and low. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also got highs and lows from critics for her dresses at Cannes. In 2003, when she was a jury member she wore a green Saree designed by Neeta Lulla and the critics gave very bad review.
In 2011, Aishwarya became mother and critics in India was not impressed by her weight. Last year in 2013. Aishwarya went to Cannes looking slim and she got praised. Sonam Kapoor also saw ups and downs in Cannes. In 2011, she wore a dress which was very heavy, and last year she wore a hindustani dress with a nose challa which didn’t go well with Critics. Anupama says that at Cannes is a meeting point of beauty and fashion. Malika Sherawat wore a tight dress in 2005 which got much news and buzz and also she wore a dress while carrying a snake which also created buzz. Fashion at Cannes have also been a hit and will always be a hit. Anupama signs off by saying that she will watch another movie at the fest before her flight to Mumbai.
Images credit: Star Plus Gallery for Star Verdict
Additional Info:
* Cannes: It is a coastal city located in south of France in the region French Riviera and the province is called Cote’d Azur (Blue Coast). Cannes film festival is host every year at this lively city of 75,000 inhabitants. Visitors and movie enthusiasts come in large numbers from Europe and the rest of the world. The closest international airport is in the city Nice which is very close to Cannes around 34 kms and can be reached within 40 mins by Car. Read more on Cannes at its Wikipedia page and also you can navigate to Cannes film festival from that page as well.
* Palme d’Or is the top honors (prize) of Cannes film festival.
* Titli is an upcoming Indian film 2014 directed by Kanu Behl and produced by Aditya Chopra and Dibakar Banerjee. The movie revolves around the struggle of Titli (played by actor Shashank Arora) who gets help from his wife Neelu (played by actor Shivani Raghuvanshi) with whom he married against his wishes to combat his unruly brothers and their violent family business of carjacking (derived from portmaneau: car and hijacking). Both Titli and Neelu forms a strange bonding to fight their own family and business. Read more on its Wikipedia page.
Full Episode Video link: http://www.starplus.in/video/showvideo.aspx?sid=412&showid=628
Sneak Peek of the Episode:
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Titli movie Theatrical Trailer – India’s only film that got accepted in Cannes 2014 official section.
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