Contact FICCIIndian delegation lights up Red Carpet at Cannes
May 17, 2022
Largest ever official Indian Delegation led by I&B Minister Shri Anurag
Thakur walks together at Cannes Opening Night Red Carpet
Mame Khan scripts history, becomes first folk artist to open Red Carpet for
India at Cannes
Cinema from South India under spotlight at Cannes
India is Country of Honour at Marche du Film
NEW DELHI, 17 May 2022: In a star studded presence on the Red
Carpet, Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Shri Anurag Thakur
today led the largest ever Indian official delegation of eleven celebrities
walking together on the inaugural event at Cannes Film Festival.
The Union Minister is
leading a strong Indian delegation to propagate India, the land of story
tellers as the 'content hub of the world' and preferred 'post production hub' for global film makers.
In a historic moment for
Indian folk arts, Shri Mame Khan became the first ever folk artist to open a
Red Carpet for Indian contingent at Cannes ever.
Putting on display the
diversity and uniqueness of Indian cinema, the glamorous red carpet contingent
comprised film celebrities from across India. Consisting of eleven members
walking towards the legendary stairs of the Palais des Festivals, the
delegation carried all the symbolism of India's ambition to become as a global
cinema hub.
The ten celebrities that
accompany the Minister feature three musical maestros, who have been raising
India's flag on the international scale, and renowned film makers and actors
from Indian Cinema who represent a kaleidoscope of diversity from various regions,
languages, mainstream and OTT led cinema. India the land of story tellers is
setting a beautiful narrative for the world through its strongest ever Red
Carpet presence at Cannes.
Among the stars was actor
Nawazuddin Siddique, a regular at Cannes. His raw, powerful acting and the
realism of his movies, such as The Lunchbox or Gangs of Wasseypur, have a
particular resonance among European audiences, and signal that India is capable
of producing movies catering to a wide range of sensitivities.
Presence of superstar music
composer AR Rahman in the group displayed the intent of the Indian delegation
to pay tribute to cinematographic music - for, maybe more than anywhere in the
world, soundtracks play a massive role in the DNA of Indian cinema. Showcasing
the musical eclecticism of the country, different genres were represented on
the red carpet. Ricky Kej, an internationally acclaimed new age music composer
and multi-Grammy Award winner, represented a more contemporary side of India,
while Mame Khan, a film composer and folk singer from Rajasthan, personified
the influence of folk culture on Indian cinema. Prasoon Joshi, a lyricist who
penned innumerable evergreen film songs, and now Chairman of the Central Board
for Film Certification (CBFC), was also present.
Ambassadors from different
regional cinemas were included in delegation, sending the signal to the world
that India - which boasts of 25 regional film industries - has many different
flavours and styles to offer in terms of film production. This year, cinema
from the south was in spotlight. R. Madhavan, actor and producer who has been
involved in movies shot in six different languages (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam,
Kannada, Hindi and English) was a good example of the staggering diversity of
Indian cinema. Two Telugu cinema superstars, Tamannah Bhatia and Pooja Hegde,
also made their dazzling appearance as part of the delegation.
Shekhar Kapur, director of
legendary films such as Mr. India, and now chairman of the Film and Television
Institute of India (FTII), as well as Vani Tripathi Tikoo, actress and member
of CBFC, also took part in the Indian delegation.
Delegation members in order
of appearance on Red Carpet
- Mame Khan, famous folk singer from Rajasthan
- Shekhar Kapur, Globally acclaimed Director
- Pooja Hegde, Actress
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Actor
- Tamannah Bhatia, Actress
- Anurag Thakur, Head of the delegation and the Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, India
- R Madhavan, Actor, Director, and Producer
- AR Rahman, leading singer & Music Composer
- Prasoon Joshi, Chairman CBFC & renowned lyricist
- Vani Tripathi, Producer, Member CBFC, Indian film personality
- Ricky Kej, the two times Grammy award winner and musician
Background:
Cannes Film Festival, which
gathers every year the who's who of the global movie industry, will take place
from May 17th to 28th, 2022, and will be the occasion for Indian delegates to
take part in various events and high-level meetings.
The festival is special
this year for its celebration of Indian cinema's prowess as India is the first
ever official Country of Honour at Marche du Film. India is also a "Country of
Honour" at the Cannes Next, under which 5 new Startups would be given an
opportunity to pitch to the Audio-Visual Industry. Ten professionals will
participate on the Animation Day networking. As a major highlight of India's
participation at this edition of Cannes Film Festival, World Premier of the
Movie "Rocketry" produced by Shri. R. Madhavan is scheduled to be showcased at
the Palais des Festivals on the 19th May 2022.