Nandita Das is a filmmaker and actress who always believes in calling a spade a spade. Recently, sharing retrospective images of the Cannes Film Festival, from 2005 to 2018, she said that the festival is about movies and not just about clothes. She wrote: “Unfortunately I miss Cannes this year. Sometimes people seem to forget that it’s a film festival and not a clothing festival! Considering that I can’t show you the amazing movies I’ve seen or the conversations I’ve had or take you back in time when Mantle premiered there. Here are some images through the years in Cannes. And only those who wear sarees, as there’s quite a bit of talk about ‘celebrities wearing sarees in Cannes’.”
She added: “Well, it’s probably my favorite piece of clothing. Simple, elegant and Indian. Less fussy – easy to get in and out of! Each of the images has an interesting story behind it but too long to share. So feel free to make up your own story from the photos you see. And guess what year they are: 2005, 20013, 2016-2018!
The filmmaker and actor shared another lengthy post about Cannes, saying how his spontaneous thoughts were misinterpreted as digging; again not forgetting to add some of his Cannes photos of him. She wrote: “Looks like my post about Cannes has sparked some unwanted debate! Funny how a spontaneous exchange of thoughts and flashbacks was perceived as ‘a dig’! Pointing fingers is an exercise in futility. Things are often more nuanced than we think they are. At such events, men have much less pressure on how they look. They can repeat their tuxedos, and no one will know or care. While women have a much greater burden of looking beautiful, sexy, regal, elegant, stunning, unique, etc., etc. To blame them is to overlook the role each of us plays in perpetuating this disproportionate pressure. The celebrities, the festival, the media and us, the viewers and readers… we are all complicit”.
She added: “Please read my posts for what they are and not what you think is between the lines! I don’t like sitting in judgment as much as I don’t like being judged for my choices. Nuance is often lost in brief communications. For example, I shouldn’t have written that the festival is about movies because it’s also about conversations and collaborations between filmmakers, storytellers, producers, technicians, and moviegoers. That was between the lines!”
Assemble the team, how difficult or easy was it to be the captain of the ship?
Being the captain of the ship is always easy and difficult and there are no two ways to do it. Easy in the sense that it is good that from the beginning of the idea to its final stage, you make all the little decisions. You tend to think that everything is under your control. But it really is not. There are many factors that are out of your control. It’s also a challenge that every decision you make getting the cast and crew together and we started filming during COVID, so there was always the fear that nobody would get COVID during the time of filming, then we would probably have to stop filming. There are challenges in each session. No one can claim that his filming was a smooth ride. That is the nature of the beast.