- Cannes 2026 opened with ‘The Electric Kiss’ film.
The Cannes Film Festival 2026 is happening right now in France until May 23. As everyone is talking about fashion and the red carpet walk, veteran actor Shabana Azmi says she doesn’t understand the huge obsession with glamour. She reminded everyone that, at its heart, Cannes has always been about the movies. The 75-year-old actor also recalled her early experience at the festival in May 1976 for Nishant, along with her co-actor Smita Patil and filmmaker Shyam Benegal.
‘Cannes Was Never About Red Carpet’
“Cannes was never about fancy gowns and the red carpet. It was about cinema, cinema and more cinema,” says Shabana, widely regarded as one of the most celebrated Indian actors across the globe.
Shabana Azmi, whose path to prominence began with Shyam Benegal’s Ankur, said, “Back then, we were not glamour-struck by anything at Cannes. We were not into stargazing at the Festival. All we were experiencing was pure terror at not having any publicity material or any money, whilst others were throwing lavish yacht parties with caviar and champagne.”
She also opened up about the financial constraints she and her team faced at the film festival back then, adding that she felt like a pauper during the ultra-glamorous event.
“We were allowed the princely sum of 8 US dollars in foreign exchange, so when I say we had no money, I mean no money. Since breakfast was included in the room tariff, we used to fill our stomachs with the breakfast spread, and survive on coffee and French fries during the day.”
ALSO READ | Ramayana Makers To Dub Sai Pallavi’s Voice After Criticism Over Her Hindi Accent
Despite this, she described the experience as deeply enriching, especially the informal gatherings that often doubled as meals.
“Inevitably, we had dinner at the many parties where our intention was less to network and more to fill our stomachs.”
However, she stressed that the real essence of Cannes lay elsewhere.
“We were hungry to watch films. What was fascinating was to have Shyam Benegal draw up a list of the films that we could watch as we rushed from one screening to the next. The excitement of watching wonderful films from the world over still gives me goosebumps.”
‘Film Was Important, Not Clothes’
This, however, is not the first time she has spoken about the importance of films over fashion at Cannes. In a post in April 2017, Shabana Azmi shared a black-and-white picture of herself with co-actor Smita Patil and filmmaker Shyam Benegal.
In the picture, the actors are seen wearing sarees, and the filmmaker is seen wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a sleeveless jacket. Along with the post, the actor wrote, “In Cannes 1976 for Nishant in the official section. The simplicity of it all. Film was important, not the clothes!”
In Cannes1976 for Nishant in official section.The simplicity of it all. Film was important not the clothes! pic.twitter.com/hmHA2LHCN1
— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) April 15, 2017
Cannes Film Festival 2026
The Cannes Film Festival 2026 began on May 12 in France, opening with the French period comedy The Electric Kiss by Pierre Salvadori. South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook is serving as the jury president for the main competition.
Among the Indian personalities who have walked the red carpet at Cannes this year are actors Alia Bhatt and Tara Sutaria, along with filmmaker Karan Johar.
Before You Go
Salman Khan Birthday: Salman Khan Celebrates 60th Birthday in Grand Style at Panvel Farmhouse
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
