Cannes 2022: Have Indians used the red carpet wisely?

Since its inception in 1946, cinephiles of note around the world have marked their calendars and planned their summers around the exclusive Cannes Film Festival held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congres, in the French Riviera. The blue-blooded of the film fraternity are invited to attend in person, while the rest of us mere mortals eagerly wait to be flooded with red carpet looks in press coverage, and in recent years, on social media feeds. For weeks afterward, dresses, accessories, makeup looks, and labels adorned, are discussed and debated on. For a film trade show, Cannes’ obsession with fashion is astounding. Right from the 1960s – the earliest I could find reference to documented red carpet looks at Cannes – it is evident that stars have used this platform to present a particular kind of lifestyle to the world by carefully picking their clothing, jewels, and arm candy. Indian appearances on the carpets of Cannes, have been fewer than their global counterparts, but still noteworthy. And the garment of choice for many has been our national dress – the sari. From the days when Shyam Benegal requested his actors Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil to serenade the streets of Cannes in their own ‘best saris’ to attract the attention of viewers and share details of their film; to Deepika Padukone’s blingy tiger-striped avatar worn this year, this humble garment has a long association with the film festival. Vidya Balan, Nandita Das, and Aishwarya Rai among others, have worn saris in a multitude of ways. As one of few Indian representatives on the red carpet, these gorgeous ladies stood out amongst a sea of gowns and dresses, in their nine yards of elegance.

This year, India has gotten a bigger slice of the Cannes pie, having been picked as the Country of Honour for 2022. Apart from a dedicated India Pavilion, this has meant the rolling out of the carpet for a much wider group of Indians including the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Anurag Thakur, AR Rahman, Ricky Kej, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kamal Haasan, Shekhar Kapur, Prasoon Joshi, and even fashion and beauty influencers like Diipa Khosla and Rahi Chadda. Enjoying their moment of pride, these celebrities and influencers have graced us with many looks since opening day on May 17. However, the indisputable leader of the Indian contingent is Deepika Padukone, who is serving on the jury this year. Aware of being the cynosure of all eyes, she chose India’s favourite couturier Sabyasachi Mukherji for her opening looks – wearing a floral printed shirt paired with tailored olive green pants, a headband and layered ‘Lucknow Rose Necklace’ for the press conference; and the much-talked about sequinned gold and black sari with maatha-patti headband and chandelier earrings on the red carpet. While the elegant comfort of the former appealed across board, the latter has not received the same amount of love. With access to a plethora of indigenous craft procedures, a tame stripey sequin sari (no matter its backstory relating to the national animal) seems an odd choice for this global icon. Fortunately, her looks since then have struck a better chord with fashionistas. As global ambassador for French fashion house Louis Vuitton, she wowed on day three in a striking red gown with peplum detailing paired with a stunning Cartier diamond necklace. Her selection of the same brand for her appearance with the rest of the jury members, wearing a sequined striped cocktail dress with thigh-high boots, was more appropriate for the occasion than the similar-in-concept Sabyasachi sari had been. Sequins and stripes were a recurring theme for Padukone, but many other Indian celebrities seem to have gone the flounce-and-frill route. Pooja Hegde chose a feathery number from Roberto Cavalli, Malvika Sitlani Aryan picked a peachy-orange frill crop top and skirt set from Millia London, and Tamannah Bhatia wore a structured Gauri and Nainika piece that showed her curves to perfection. Volume on clothing is perhaps the easiest way for celebrities to command the red carpet, however, it can also overpower the person, or - as in the case of Urvashi Rautela’s tulle gown from Tony Ward Couture and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s black Dolce & Gabbana number accessorised with large flowers - make them look like wedding cakes! Truth be told, the fashion displayed on the red carpet of the Cannes film festival this year failed to inspire me and therefore to impress me. With India being given a golden opportunity to shine at this prestigious global platform, it would have been nice to see more Indian representation in couture labels and designs, or at least more out-of-the-box approaches to showcase the brilliance and variety of our Indian creative minds. As the Cannes red carpet continues to unfold till May 28, however, we may yet be wowed by our representatives. I wait with baited breath. Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com. Read all the  Latest News _,_  Trending News _,_  Cricket News _,_  Bollywood News _,_  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook _,_  Twitter  and  Instagram _._