Four Indian films to feature at Cannes 2018; A look at India's journey at the French Riviera festival

With the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival scheduled to be held from May 8-19, some Indian films will reach global audience.

The festival will feature Dhanush’s The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir at Film Mkt/India Day, Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Manto, which has been selected in the Un Certain Regard section, Tillotama Shome's Sir, which is in competition at Critics Week, and Dinakar Rao's Asthi that will feature at Short-film Corner.

The Un Certain Regard section features 20 different films with unique or original stories. In Manto, Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays renowned writer Saadat Hasan Manto. News agency IANS has reported that Manto is the only Indian film to feature in the Un Certain Regard category of Cannes.

Since 1946, Indian filmmakers have showcased their work at Cannes. It all began with Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar, which won the Grand Prix award. The movie is widely regarded as the first such Indian film to attain global recognition. Starring Kamini Kaushal and Zohra Sehgal, it was an expressionist take on class differences in the Indian society.

The Grand Prix award has been renamed as the Palm d’Or now.

Later, films like Amar Bhoopali, a period biopic about the Marathi poet Honaji Bala, won an award for Best Sound Recording, Child artist Baby Naaz received Special Distinction Award for her charming performance in 1955 in Raj Kapoor’s Boot Polish.

Then, in 1956, Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali won the Palm d’Or for its poignant portrayal of poverty. Subsequently, Gotama: The Buddha, a documentary by Rajbhans Khanna, won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 1957. And with that 1950s became a glorious period for Indian film industry.

In the later years, came along Mira Nair’s film Salaam Bombay, Malayalam film Piravi, and Deepa Mehta’s Sam & Me also fetched awards at Cannes.

The Next Step

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s take on 1917 Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay won him a premiere at the Cannes and Aishwarya Rai became the first Indian woman to be a part of the international jury at Cannes in 2003, ending a three-decade absence of Indians in the jury.

Other films that were screened at Cannes

From Aditya Motwane’s Udaan, to Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur, to Bombay Talkies, to Monsoon Shootout, all were screened at the international film festival. Films like The Lunch Box, Titli, Maasan, too, were featured at the French Riviera city.

2016 saw six Indian movies including Bahubali: The Beginning and a psychological thriller by Anurag Kashyap, Raman Raghav 2.0, getting screened at Cannes. But no Indian film made it to Cannes in 2017.

Although featuring at Cannes does not result in box office higher collections but these films belonging to alternative cinema do get acknowledgement and appreciation internationally.

However, things were a little different for Irrfan Khan’s The Lunch Box —not only received an entry into Cannes but was also a box office hit. Made at a modest budget of Rs 22 crore, the film in India earned Rs 28 crore and Rs 100 crore worldwide.

The Cannes Film Festival provides global and media exposure to the filmmakers who work on shoestring budgets and do not spend on the film’s advertising and marketing. In addition, these festivals also educate the West about a different kind of cinema emerging in India.