Vidya Balan 'honour' to represent India at Cannes Film Festival

With a special invitation by Cannes film festival organisers to celebrate the centenary year of Indian Cinema (it turned 100 last year), it’s no surprise that the best of India’s film contingent will be at the prestigious French festival.

Leading the charge will be actress Vidya Balan, arguably one of the busiest stars in Bollywood right now, who will join director Steven Spielberg and actors Nicole Kidman and Christophe Waltz as part of the festival’s nine-member jury. The jury will select the winner of the coveted Palme d’Or prize at the end of the 12-day festival.

Steven Spielberg, who recently visited India, is the jury president.

“It’s an absolute honour to represent India on a global stage,” Balan told tabloid! in Mumbai, where she is currently wrapping up the shooting for her next film, Ghanchakkar. “To have it any year is welcome, but to have it in the 100th year of Indian cinema makes it even more special. I’d hoped my work would take me there but even to be on the same platform as Steven Spielberg and Nicole Kidman is unbelievable.”

Balan revealed she almost did not see the email inviting her to be on the jury, saying she was on the shoot of Shaadi Ki Side Effects and doesn’t check her email regularly. “Somebody had to call me and say an invite was sent,” she said, with a laugh. The actress, who wed UTV honcho Siddharth Roy Kapur in December 2012, was bubbly and came across as a still-blissful newlywed. Balan said she’d be flying the Indian flag all the way when asked if she’ll be wearing a sari to the festival.

“Definitely, there’s no other way to go about it, I love Indian saris and it’s going to be Sabyasachi,” she said, referring to the top Indian designer. “To be an Indian women’s representative is also special.”

She’ll be joined on the jury by Japanese director Naomi Kawase; Lynne Ramsay, the Scottish director of We Need to Talk About Kevin; French actor/director Daniel Auteuil and Romanian director Cristian Mungiu.

The jury, headed by Spielberg, will award the coveted Palme d’Or to one of the 19 films in competition at the May 15-26 festival.

“I don’t have any [Hollywood] offers as yet, but I would love to act in an Italian and Iranian film, which is closer to what we know. It’s all about the people,” added Balan

She isn’t the only Indian star to have joined the prestigious jury. Indie favourite Nadita Das, who was on the main jury in 2005, will also be on the short film jury this year.

Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was the first from India to be on the festival’s jury, in 2003. Rai Bachchan will attend the festival this year with her father-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan, who has a cameo in the festival’s opening film The Great Gatsby.

Actress Sharmila Tagore, the mother of Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan, was invited to join the jury in 2009 while director Shekhar Kapoor, known for his ‘Elizabeth’ films, was a member in 2010.

Four Indian films will screen at the festival, including Bombay Talkies, an anthology film by four Indian directors to celebrate 100 years of cinema, which will have a gala screening. The film, which features four intertwined stories, has been directed by some of the country’s most critically acclaimed directors who have also had massive commercial success: Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar.

Kashyap, who showcased his Gangs of Wasseypur at last year’s festival, will be back with another film Ugly, to be showcased on the sidelines in the Directors’ Fortnight segment, where he earlier showcased his two-part revenge drama Gangs of Wasseypur.

Dabba (Lunchbox) and Monsoon Shootout, co-produced by Kashyap, have been selected for the Cannes Critics Week and Midnight Screening sections respectively. Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui is on his way to Cannes with three films: “Monsoon Shootout”, “Bombay Talkies” and “Dabba”.

“It’s a very, very proud moment for me and my family. At least now I am confident that I am heading in the right direction and have not taken the wrong track,” said Siddiqui. -- With inputs from AFP, IANS and PTI