 "Cannes 2024: How Nishant actresses Smita Patil & Shabana Azmi represented the Indian essence by wearing their own sarees & no designer outfits in 1976")
The elite and prestigious Cannes Film Festival recently concluded and like every year we saw many designers along with filmmakers making an impact with their stylish and unconventional outfits which were donned by global stars. From India, we have seen stars like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aditi Rao Hydari, Kiara Advani, Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra and others gracing the red carpet.
However, in 1976 Indian cinema created history as Shyam Benegal’s movie Nishant competed for the prestigious Palme d’Or.
Set in the 1940s and 50s in rural Telangana, Nishant revolves around the sexual exploitation of women by the village elite. While the hard-hitting drama bagged the National Award for Best Hindi Feature Film, it also featured in the international festivals of London, Melbourne, and Chicago winning the Golden Plaque at the latter.
At the Cannes red carpet, filmmaker Shyam Benegal accompanied lead actresses Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi, who represented the rich Indian culture by wearing their sarees instead of any designer outfit.
Smita Patil donned Odisha’s Sambalpuri Ikat, which is manufactured uniquely as yarns are tie-dyed before weaving, creating beautiful patterns. On the other hand, Shabana Azmi wore Tamil Nadu’s iconic creation Kanjeevaram saree, which is popular for rich textures, fine gold zari work and vibrant colours.
Talking about Nishant, it also featured Girish Karnad, Amrish Puri, Mohan Agashe, Anant Nag and Sadhu Meher with Naseeruddin Shah . It marked the debut of Smita Patil and Naseeruddin Shah.
The film was based on an original screenplay by noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar, with dialogues by the multi-talented Satyadev Dubey.