'Haven't given my wardrobe much thought': Things celebs say about Cannes red carpet

In most situations, our Bollywood stars (or stars anywhere really) have perfected the art of “doublespeak”. They say one thing, and mean another — or they really mean nothing by what they say at all. From the “we’re just good friends” phrase to “he/she is a wonderful co-star” there are platitudes aplenty that could be compiled into an ‘Archetype of Quotes from Bollywood Stars Down the Ages’ book. Surprisingly, however, when it comes to their appearances at the Cannes Film Festival, they’re disarmingly honest. Now we aren’t sure if this is intentional, or just a coincidence, but what these Cannes regulars have had to say about their red carpet appearances pretty much hits the nail on the head. With the stars preparing to descend on the French Riviera once again for the fest, from 11 May, we take a look at the candid statements stars have made about their Cannes appearances — and how they proved to be very truthful. [caption id=“attachment_2766264” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Vidya Balan at Cannes. Image from IBNlive[/caption] “I haven’t given my Cannes wardrobe much thought” – Vidya Balan The year was 2013 and Vidya Balan was enjoying her reign in Bollywood. Additional recognition beckoned in the form of being a jury member for the Cannes Film Festival that year. This was Vidya’s moment to shine, and she decided the best way to do this was sport a series of increasingly frumpy outfits for her Cannes photo calls and red carpet appearances. Critics noted that Balan seemed to have confused “clothing” with “costumes” and wondered if she was “the only one who received a memo saying the dress code was Mughal-e-Azam”. Before Vidya left for Cannes, she admitted: “I haven’t given my Cannes wardrobe much thought.” And indeed, she clearly hadn’t. Neither, it seems, had designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who was given the responsibility of dressing Vidya for all the days at Cannes. [caption id=“attachment_2766276” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Katrina Kaif at Cannes. Image from IBNlive[/caption] “I don’t think I am going there to set any trend or look” – Katrina Kaif Hmm. Flaming red hair, a flaming red gown, flaming red lips, on a flaming red carpet: Katrina Kaif looked pretty gorgeous when she made her Cannes appearance, except for the fact that she blended into the carpet. And Kat did come in for criticism for playing it so safe with her sartorial choices. Her black and beige Elie Saab gown was also pointed out for being similar to one Aishwarya Rai wore at the fest back in 2012. So yes Kat’s statement proved true as well: She really didn’t set any trend or win fashion watchers over with her red carpet looks. [caption id=“attachment_2766280” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at Cannes. Image from IBNlive[/caption] “I have never spent sleepless nights planning the Cannes red carpet” — Aishwarya Rai Bachchan A surprising statement for the diva to make considering the amount of bad press she gets for getting it wrong at Cannes repeatedly. 2014 was the only year when Ash absolutely got her style right at Cannes — the gold Cavalli gown effectively shut up her critics like nothing else could. But then 2015 was again a mixed bag for the actress — although better than previous years. We wouldn’t want the actress to lose any sleep over what to wear, but perhaps a little more thought put into those red carpet appearances might do wonders? “Kaala hai, chal jayega” – Nawazuddin Siddique Never has a more original statement been made: Nawaz chose to wear the same black tuxedo to Cannes in both 2012 and 2013 — accessorising it with nothing more than his brooding looks and a mouche. And it worked! Of course, actresses wouldn’t be allowed to get away with repeating any of their exquisite gowns from one year to the next, or even one event to the next. But there are perks to being a guy, and not having to think too long and hard about your fashion choices, we suppose, is one of them. [caption id=“attachment_2766284” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Sonam Kapoor at Cannes. Image from IBNlive[/caption] Flashing the V sign — Sonam Kapoor When it comes to her style profile at Cannes — except for one Big Bird moment — Sonam Kapoor has pretty much got it right. And it isn’t just about dolling up in pretty gowns or saris either — along with sister Rhea Kapoor, Sonam has devoted a whole lot of thought to having the right mix of styles and designers on display. So the victory sign is all the statement she will ever need to make about her Cannes red carpet appearances. We can only hope that the actress’ A-grade run continues at the Riviera!