Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tamannaah laud India’s ‘iconic’ partnership with Cannes Film Festival

The prestigious Cannes Film Festival 2022 kick-started on May 17 and several popular stars from the Indian entertainment industry walked the red carpet. On May 18, Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Thakur inaugurated the Indian pavilion at the 75th Cannes film festival and actors including Deepika Padukone, who is also a member of the jury, R Madhavan, Tamannaah Bhatia, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and other were in attendance.

India at Cannes 2022

Tamannaah Bhatia arrived in a striped yellow, green and white gown and opened up about her journey in the film industry as she spoke about Indian films. She mentioned the ‘biggest opportunities’ in her life had come to her when she least expected them, just like her offer to attend Cannes 2022. She mentioned it was ‘iconic’ for India, which has contributed to the film industry in a massive way over the years to be partnering with Cannes in its 75th edition. She also called Deepika an ‘inspiration’ for representing the country on the Cannes 2022 pannel and thanked the I&B Minister for the opportunity, which is a ‘huge push’ for an actor. She said-

“It is my debut at Cannes. I think some of the biggest opportunities in my life have come to me when I have not been prepared for it. Be it a film like Baahubali, which changed the way cinema is viewed in India today, and opened a window for pan-India films. Today, being here at Cannes feels like exactly the same opportunity. I think all this happened very last minute, but I do understand that India has contributed for years together, and finally in the 75th year, the partnering of the Cannes festival with India is really iconic. Deepika being a part of the jury keeps making us proud. Deepika, we are really proud of you, and I look up to you, you’re a huge inspiration. Anurag ji, thank you for having me here, it is really humbling, and I wish and hope that I can consciously make more contributions to cinema. This opportunity is a huge push for actors like me.”

Nawazuddin Siddiqui also took the mic and first recounted a hilarious incident that took place on the Cannes 2013 red carpet and left the panel and the crowd in splits. He then spoke about the magnitude of the Indian film industry. He mentioned that the country has a plethora of stories to tell and that every corner of the country has a different story. He also hoped that these Indian films would get the support they deserve. He mentioned that although the stories of the country may seem rather local, they had the immense potential of global platforms. Speaking in Hindi, he said-

“I am happy such an initiative is being taken towards Indian cinema. Our country has a huge number of stories that may be very local but can definitely work well at a global level. Every corner of our country has a story and we would love to have the support to help them shine.”

Image: Twitter/@ani