A festival of fashion
At Cannes,making a style statement seemed to be more important than making a creative or political statement through film
At Cannes,making a style statement seemed to be more important than making a creative or political statement through film
Just when all the stardust on the Cannes red carpet was beginning to settle,there is finally some real excitement. The hornet’s nest has been inadvertently stirred by Mallika Sherawat who,in an interview to Variety at Cannes,indulged in some frank speak,terming India as a regressive country,particularly in relation to our patriarchal attitude towards women. The context of Sherawat’s statement was her forthcoming film Dirty Politics,in which she plays a nurse who tries to blackmail a politician for his misdeeds and pays with her life.
In the course of conversation,to reiterate her point further,she mentioned that she was the first actress to kiss on screen and wear a bikini,and that while it had made her a superstar,her actions also drew flak. A major outcry,I am informed as per tweets,Facebook comments and the print media,has greeted Sherawat’s comments. Reportedly,Priyanka Chopra has taken up the cudgels on behalf of India’s progressiveness.
All this socio-political stuff has thankfully taken the attention away from Vidya Balan’s saris,which were the subject of a raging debate through all of last week. The commentary and critique of her “costumes” and so on were so high intensity that one almost forgot that she was there as one of the jurors to adjudge the winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or,keeping the exalted company of movie greats like Ang Lee,Nicole Kidman and Steven Spielberg. So,while the fact that Sabyasachi is her favourite designer has been clearly established,we still have no inkling of which film she liked most,and why.
Last year around this time,the post-Cannes discourse was on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s post-natal weight gain. Weightwatchers were of the opinion that a former beauty queen had no business showing up on the red carpet with excess pounds,while others were clamouring for calorie counters to drop the shrill sloganeering on Rai Bachchan’s proportions. This year,with Ash being back in shape,the media gaze was kinder.
Clearly,there is something about Cannes that brings the facetious to the fore. The seeds of this fashion frenzy lie within the festival,which rests firmly on fashion and films. Among the chief sponsors for the festival are Swiss luxury watch and jewellery brand Chopard,cosmetic giant L’oreal and French automobile company Renault. And then there are the innumerable fashion brands that make a guest appearance — as almost a subplot to the fashion extravaganza,both Chopard and another Swiss jewellery brand,de Grisogono,suffered significant losses worth millions when some diamond jewellery went missing.
On the red carpet it was Armani,Dior,Elie Saab,Louis Vuitton,Miu Miu,Pucci,Roberto Cavalli,Tom Ford and Valentino all the way. And even before the verdict on the movies was spelt out,Dior was announced the undisputed red carpet winner by the fashion media present. For the high priests of haute couture,Cannes is a veritable feast. One can hardly blame the festival organisers for attempting a delicious combo — beautiful people playing clotheshorse to exquisite clothes. Ironically,at the world’s most widely attended and publicised film festival,the scales,of late,seem to tipping towards fashion. The filmmaking talent that got some attention at Cannes,both from India and outside,has been buried in the avalanche of media attention lavished on the stars.
In contrast,the Berlin Film Festival,perhaps the closest to Cannes in its magnitude and appeal,is no stranger to high-wattage Hollywood star power. But the focus,even when the best and the most beautiful in the business are in attendance,is on the movies they make. When Angelina Jolie landed at Berlinale 2012 with her directorial debut,In the Land of Blood and Honey,the larger part of the coverage was about the film. Similarly,there was no sartorial sniping about the dress that Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) wore,nor was anything said about the dapper Shah Rukh Khan (Don 2).
Cannes,of course,is always steering a different course. Evidently,at the world’s most coveted film festival,making a fashion statement is as important as making a creative or a political statement through films.
The writer is editor,‘Screen’
priyanka.sinha@expressindia.com
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