Blame It on the Riviera

The Cannes Film Festival begins in 10 days, with the usual large Indian contingent visiting. But the reality, as always, will fall far short of the Indian hype

IT8217;S THE FRENCH RIVIERA SEASON. Over the next few weeks, that narrow strip of land between the Alps Maritimes and the Mediter-ranean will be the world8217;s hottest destination. The action has already begun. The Masters Tennis tournament at Monte Carlo just got over. Formula 1 at Monaco comes later this month. Last, but not least, comes the 12-day Festival de Cannes. This year8217;s edi-tion of the festival, the 59th, opens on May 17. Cannes is still the big daddy of all film festi-vals, though it has lost a bit of clout and a lot of glamour in recent years. From being the haunt of the rich and famous, with fancy yachts moored at the marina and starlets shining along the famed beaches, today it8217;s more business like, with much of the action8212;like striking film deals8212; taking place in smoke-filled hotel rooms.

Delhi8217;s swish set has for some time now been less visible at Cannes. There8217;s no exclusive tag anymore, thanks to the sheer size of the crowd that gathers. For the aam janata, invites to posh parties are hard to come by. For the gawkers, the glam quotient is provided mostly by European stars who are unknown in India. Above all is the cost factor. A modest hotel room during the festi-val week can set one back by over Rs 1 lakh. So, for our homegrown P3Ps, the lure of Cannes is losing its lustre. Nonetheless, all is not lost. There8217;s Bollywood to make up for the so-cialites. For many among the filmi crowd, it8217;s mandatory to be at Cannes. This, irrespective of whether any Indian film has been selected for of-ficial showing. Some producers go to Cannes for genuine business reasons8212;selling their movies and networking. Others try to combine business with pleasure. The desi stars want to emulate Aishwarya Rai a regular visitor lately, hoping that some good Samaritan8217;ll pick up the tab. In recent years, some trade organisations are trying to help these tormented souls from Bolly-wood.

This often leads to interesting situations. As the festival nears, the grapevine gets active: so-and-so8217;s film would be shown, this or that star has been invited for the official dinner, the red carpet will roll out for Ms X or Mr Y. The reality in most cases falls well short of the hype. The official exhibition of a film at Cannes is possible only when it has been se-lected by the jury to one of the six categories.

And no Indian feature film made it either last year or this year. So if Gurinder Chadha wishes to show her Mistress of Spices, or Jagmohan Mundhra his Provoked, they8217;d have to do it privately. Which is not all that difficult. Marche, or the Cannes film market, has several small preview theatres that can be hired for a small fee. Then comes the difficult part8212;getting an audience to turn up. Others play safe and show their films on DVD in hotel rooms or Marche stalls.

There are some Bollywood directors/pro- ducers who go to Cannes just to survey the mar-ket. Karan Johar, whose Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna has got a bit delayed due to the Big B8217;s sudden ill-ness, may make a trip to Cannes mainly for that.

What of the parties? Well, they are an integral part of the festival and take place on beaches and yachts, in Marche stalls and hotels, and in the villas up the hills. For those really interested, invites are not that hard to come by. Not even for the dinners on the opening or closing nights or for the traditional lunch hosted by the Mayor of Cannes.

The most prestigious is the President8217;s Din-ner, a formal, sit-down affair, restricted to just a dozen or so guests personally selected by the president of the festival. One of the few Indians to have made to the guest list had been the then director of India8217;s Film Festival, way back in 2000. As for the Red Carpet, it8217;s that bit of floor-cover leading up to the Grand Palace, the main venue. The VIP guests in their tuxedos and evening gowns an occasional saree too, get clicked and are cheered by crowds of bystanders.

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Among Indian stars, Aishwarya has walked the red carpet more than anyone else in the last few years. First, when Devdas was shown in Cannes, next as a jury member, and later as a brand ambassador for L8217;Oreal, the international cosmetics company. Incidentally, L8217;Oreal has been one of the main sponsors of the festival.

Walking the red carpet requires all guests to have passes for at least one of the two film shows each evening at the Grand Palace. These are not easy to come by. It helps if one8217;s film is being shown anywhere in Cannes8212;even at the Marche. That8217;s how Mallika Sherawat made it to that spot last year, in an ensemble best described by her grandmother back home as: 8220;Chhori, kya jaldi mein saree pehanna bhool gai? Girl, in all the hurry, did you forget to put on your saree?8221; Cannes you beat that?