The Cannes Film Festival was commemorated in the French city 75 years back. For the past few years, the global festival has witnessed artists from around the world assemble to show their films. The festival has always managed to steal the limelight from major red carpet appearances to various mind-blowing films.
Veteran Bollywood Analyst cum Business Transformation Expert Hirav Shah says, “The 75th Cannes Film Festival kicked off on May 17, and this time, India has been announced as the official ‘country of honor’ at the Marche’ Du Films, also called Cannes Film Market. India is the first country to be chosen for this honor at the prestigious festival.”
Hirav Shah adds, “India has a strong representation at the festival, and this is due to several iconic stars like Aishwarya Rai, Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and more eminent personalities have been the veterans of the festival with their appearance on the red carpet each passing year. Apart from the red carpet fashion, only a few Indian films have earned the honor at the Cannes Film Festival.”
Hirav Shah brings you the list of Indian films which won awards in the past at the film festival as the Cannes Film Festival 2022 was recently kick-started.
Table of Contents
Cannes Film Festival 2022
A Night of Knowing Nothing
Payal Kapadia’s 2021 documentary A Night Of Knowing Nothing won an award for the Best Documentary at the festival. A Night Of Knowing Nothing revolves around the life of a university student at the Film and Television Institute of India. She writes a letter to her estranged boyfriend after they are separated when he is forced to quit film school and denied permission from his family to continue dating her as they both are not from the same caste.
Kharji
Kharji is a 1983 Bengali film directed by Mrinal Sen. The movie won a Special Jury Prize at Cannes 1983. Kharji tells the story of a middle-class family whose child servant, Palan, is found dead in their kitchen, and their efforts to alleviate his grieving father from the crucial crux of the film.
Masaan
Director Neeraj Ghaywan’s 2015 film, Masaan, features Richa Chadha, Vicky Kaushal, and Shweta Tripathi in key roles and won two prizes at the Cannes Film festival in 2015. The film deals with the caste-related issues in society and presents the tragic love story between a lower caste boy and an upper-caste girl. Though the point is ages old, the narrative caught the attention of jury members at Cannes at that time.
Marana Simhasana
This Mirali Narayan directional is a 1999 Malayalam film that won an award at the Cannes Film festival in 2000. A deeply haunting film on the class divide, the film is the story of a farmer who is wrongly implicated and jailed for a murder he has not committed and sentenced to electrocution- a first in his state. This emotional drama got a standing ovation from the crowd at the film festival.
The Lunchbox
Noted director Ritesh Batra’s 2013 unusual love story of a lonesome bachelor and equally lonely and unhappy housewife tugs the heartstrings of viewers across. The film starring Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur won the Critics Week Viewers Choice Awards at the Cannes film festival.
Salaam Bombay
This Mira Nair directional 1988 film won the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film festival. Salaam Bombay revolves around the daily lives of children living in slums in Bombay, India’s largest city. Starring Shafiq Syed, Raghuvir Yadav, Anita Kanwar, Nana Patekar, Hansa Vithal, and Chanda Sharma, the film was a decent hit in the theaters during its release.
Hirav Shah concludes by saying, “Apart from the films mentioned above, Satyajit Ray’s film Pratidwandi (1970) was presented in an exclusive screening. The film was screened at the Festival de Cannes in 1956. While the glamor and style coming out of the subcontinent has become the talk of the town, the Marche’ Du Film witnessed the creative and artistic side of the Indian film industry. Showcasing the range and diversity, Indian films are making an impact worldwide.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Bollywood at Cannes
Has any Indian film won an award at the Cannes Film Festival?
Boot Polish is the only Indian film that won accolades at the festival for its actor, child actor Naaz. She won the Special Distinction Prize at Cannes in 1954.
What is the country of honor at Cannes?
India is the country of honor this year at the Cannes film festival. I&B Minister Anurag Thakur is set to walk the Red Carpet along with Deepika Padukone and also participate in the Opening Night festivities of Marche Du Film at the French Riviera.
