Kaan? Can? Kannes? Koi baat nahin. By any other name and however you pronounce it, the glory of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival has been seriously dented by the over-dressed, over-enthusiastic, over-loaded, and under-talented contingent from India this year.
Cannes ko pura pura Cartoon Network bana diya.Thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s newly introduced austerity measures, taxpayers were spared the brunt of shelling out euros to finance the scheduled trips of ministers and bureaucrats who virtuously announced their withdrawal from one of the world’s most glamorous events, citing their respect for the PM’s Seven Commandments to tighten designer belts.
It left me wondering what exactly people like Maharashtra Minister for Cultural Affairs Ashish Shelar were going to contribute to India’s presence in world cinema. More importantly, what politically correct outfit was Ministerji Shelar going to wear on the red carpet?We know what Maharashtra’s First Lady Amruta Fadnavis had planned, before she too announced her Cannes sacrifice by posting a detailed Instagram Reel describing her red-carpet outfit — a “magnificent” Paithani saree from Yeola. Unfortunately, she did not show followers the beauty of the saree on camera, though she did mention the weavers who had slaved for months to create it. Assuming it is a masterpiece that did not get its well-deserved moment on the world stage, why not showcase it and call for an auction? Donate the amount to a worthy charity and set a good example, dear Amruta.
