R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, MAY 17
Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan, wearing a traditional Tamil-styled ‘veshti-shirt’, on Thursday inaugurated the India Pavilion at Cannes at Marché du Film in the presence of Jawed Ashraf, Ambassador of India to France, Prithul Kumar, Joint Secretary, MIB and stars of the Indian film industry.
Minister of State Dr L Murugan leads delegation to #CannesFilmFestival from 16th to 27th May
Four Indian films in Official Selection for Cannes, restored Manipuri film ‘Ishanhou’ to be showcased in the ‘Classics’ section@Murugan_MoS @office_murugan @MIB_India @PIB_India pic.twitter.com/tA9EEy3h9L
— PIB in Tamil Nadu (@pibchennai) May 17, 2023
- The MoS says films carry India’s strength in storytelling across the world
- World has only scratched the surface of Indian creativity and capability: Anurag Thakur
- In a first, India sends delegation to Cannes with filmmakers from North East
- Minister announces digitization of ‘Ishanou’, Manipuri film selected under Classics section at Cannes
Addressing a gathering of delegates from India, including film stars and officials, Dr Murugan said, “Today India is the world’s largest producer of films with over 3,000 films in over 50 languages. These films carry a message of India’s strength in storytelling across the world.”
MoS @Murugan_MoS inaugurates India Pavilion at Marche du Film, says films carry India’s strength in storytelling across the world World has only scratched the surface of Indian creativity and capability: Union Minister @ianuragthakur
Read here: https://t.co/6GJcB0rU2n pic.twitter.com/hzwCkts8oV
— PIB in Tamil Nadu (@pibchennai) May 17, 2023
Citing the example of the now famed ‘Elephant Whisperers’ of Mudumalai, the Minister highlighted that today good content knows no boundaries and we are witnessing an era where Indian content is going local to global.
Dr Murugan recalled the recent stellar success of Indian movies and movie makers at world stage and added that today it’s difficult to find a movie without an Indian name in its credits for animation or VFX. He further said that Indian film industry has undergone significant changes in recent years with advent of newer technologies and rise of digital and streaming platforms.
The Minister stated that Indian Media and Entertainment sector is poised to experience an extraordinary growth rate of 11.4% in 2023, propelling its revenue to a staggering INR 2.36 trillion. This remarkable surge is a testament to the robustness of India’s M&E industry and its potential to create novel opportunities, even in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. He further added that after the Covid pandemic, the gross box office revenues of 2022 in India, have increased almost three times the revenues of 2021 to 1.3 billion USD, and expected to touch 3 billion USD by 2025.
Speaking about the measures taken by the Ministry towards strengthening the film ecosystem in India, Dr Murugan said that a slew of initiatives through Digital India, Start Up India, rural telecom connectivity, policy reforms creating positive environment for data affordability and availability are creating a robust foundation of a Creative Economy. “Our technological forte of the IT sector merged with the rich talent pool of artistes, makes India the best suited for serving as the Content Creator for the global Cinema. Our government had set up a task force for the promotion of this sector. A National Centre of Excellence for AVGC is also in pipeline”, he added.
Dr Murugan pitched India as an attractive movie destination for foreign films and said that the Government is committed to develop India as a magnet for international movie industry including shooting, co-production, animation and low-cost post-production.
The Minister expressed hope that after announcements of film incentives by Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur last year at Cannes, India’s promising presence in Cannes 2023 will take this momentum further. As India prepares to host the G20 summit, he said that “we are placing a special emphasis on the significance of Culture & Tourism. We aim to leverage the power of media and entertainment to position culture as a driving force for inclusive, sustainable socio-economic recovery and development, paving the way for a brighter future for all. One Earth -One family – One Future is the sure way forward”.
Minister Anurag Thakur addressing the gathering through a video message. In his message, the Minister remarked that ‘Festival de Cannes’ has played an instrumental role in not just promoting our cinematic excellence but also strengthening the Indo-French relations.
He emphasized that for the first time this year, we have sent an official delegation of talented filmmakers from the North Eastern states of India to the Cannes Film Festival. The idea, he said, was to bring to Cannes the depth and diversity of India’s rich cinematic culture while we recognize and promote regional diversity in filmmaking back home. He informed the audience that National Film Archive of India has digitalised the negatives of ‘Ishanou,’ the Manipuri Language film, selected in the Cannes Classic Section this year.
Earlier, Jawed Ashraf, Ambassador of India to France, in his address to the gathering called for a bigger, more organised presence at Cannes and other festivals, and for a more aggressive approach to promote Indian films. A larger presence, he added, will do justice to the scale and strength of Indian cinema.
Guillaume Esmiol, Executive Director, Marche du Film at Cannes Film Festival said that India was an important country for the global film industry by way of being a strong market and with its scale of movie industry.
The event also witnessed the unveiling of the poster and trailer for 54th Indian Film Festival of India to be organized in Goa in November, 2023.
‘As a Tamilian, I am proud to participate in the red carpet reception wearing the Veshti shirt’
“As a Tamilian, I am proud to participate in the red carpet reception of the world famous Cannes Film Festival today wearing the Veshti shirt, a traditional symbol of Tamil,” Murugan tweeted.
The union minister’s attire showcased a combination of symbolism and global representation. On the left side of his shirt was the national flag, embodying the spirit and identity of India. Complementing the national flag, on the right side of his shirt, was the distinguished G20 logo.
“The embroidery on the shirt has been done by my local tailor. It makes me immensely proud to wear the tricolour on my chest,” the minister said.
“Since we are doing so many events and showcasing our heritage at the G20 year-long plan, it is only fit that we tell the world about it,” he added.
Sharing a video from the film festival, he highlighted the significance of donning a traditional dress adorned with the national flag, particularly at a time when India is leading the G20 summit.
The Indian delegation at the Cannes Film Festival also included acclaimed filmmaker Guneet Monga, who won the Oscar this year for ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ documentary.
Guneet opted for an elegant golden-tone saree. Murugan attended the event the last year as well, during which India was honoured as the “Country of Honour”.
Bollywood star Sara Ali Khan made her Cannes red carpet debut and she looked simply ethereal in a white Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla lehenga. The outfit complete with an embroidered panelled skirt, dupatta and a blouse studded with crystals and pearls made the Zara Hatke Zara Bachke actor stand out on the red carpet.
The 76th edition of the festival, which opened on May 16 will conclude on May 27. The festival kicked off with the Johnny Depp movie ‘Jeanne du Barry’, in which Depp plays French king Louis XV. The film reportedly got a seven-minute standing ovation.
https://twitter.com/DDNewslive/status/1658832894394089472?s=20
Former Miss India Manushi Chhillar and actor Esha Gupta too graced the red carpet on day one of the festival. Both of them chose white for their red carpet appearances. Gupta looked simply sexy in a white gown with floral detailing. The outfit by Nicholas Jebran had a thigh-high slit, giving us Angelina Jolie from the 2013 Oscars flashbacks. She nonetheless looked gorgeous with barely-there make-up and minimal accessories.
Manushi Chhillar, on the other hand, exuded Cinderella vibes in a white gown by Fovari. The dreamy, environment-friendly gown had corset detailing with ruffle detailing. Chillar completed her look with a statement necklace. Other Indians who made an appearance on the red carpet on day one were actor Urvashi Rautela and Film curator, critic and filmmaker Meenakshi Shedde, who is on the International Critics’ Week jury. While Shedde chose a saree, Rautela chose a pink tulle gown by Sima Couture. She paired the gown with an alligator necklace by Cartier.
