Elated at Ray’s film screening at Cannes: PM

Ahead of the Cannes film festival where India is named as “country of honour’, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed happiness that a film by one of India’s most renowned filmmakers, Satyajit Ray, has been restored for screening at the Cannes Classics section in the film festival in France “when India is celebrating the birth centenary of the legendary filmmaker”, he said.

Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur is leading an Indian film delegation, the largest so far to Cannes , where he will inaugurate the India Pavilion at the business event alongside the Cannes Film Festival and participate in the opening night festivities.

Thakur, who will also walk the red carpet on the occasion, was received by India’s Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf on Tuesday. India has been named as ‘country of honour” at the festival.

The Indian delegation is comprising film personalities including Shekhar Kapur, A R Rahman, Prasoon Joshi, R Madhavan, Tamannaah Bhatia, Vani Tripathi, Pooja Hegde and folk artist Mame Khan for the red carpet event ahead of the screening of opening film “Coupez” (Final Cut) by Michel Hazanavicius.

In his message Modi said “films and society are mirror images of each other. Cinema showcases human emotions and expressions in an artistic manner, binding the world together with a common strand of entertainment”.

He said India is the largest film-producing country in the world. With films in many languages from different regions, the multifariousness of our film sector is remarkable.

“It is heartening to note that a film by one of India’s most renowned filmmakers, Satyajit Ray, has been restored for screening at the Cannes Classics section, when India is celebrating the birth centenary of the legendary filmmaker”, the Prime Minister said.

Modi further said “ this edition of Cannes film festival is special in many ways. Many Startups from India will showcase their strengths to the cinema world. India Pavilion will display facets of Indian cinema and promote international partnerships and learnings”, he said.

As one of the highlights of India’s status as the ‘country of honour’, a special screening of a restored Indian classic “Pratidwandi”, directed by Satyajit Ray, has been planned as part of the festival’s Cannes Classics selection.

In addition, world premieres of a selection of Indian films will be held at the Olympia Cinema.

India will be showcasing five movies – “Baghjan” (Assamese) by Jaicheng Zxai Dohutia, “Bailadila” (Chhattisgarhi) by Shailendra Sahu, “Ek Jagah Apni” (Hindi) by Ektara collective, “Follower” (Marathi) by Harshad Nalawde and “Shivamma” (Kannada) by Jai Shankar – under the “Goes to Cannes Section”.

Actor R Madhavan’s film, “Rocketry: The Nambi Effect”, will have its world premiere at the festival on May 19.

Actor Akshay Kumar, also an invitee to the Cannes festival, is not attending it as he has got infected by Covid19.