Deepika Padukone has been chosen to represent India at the Cannes Film Festival this year as a jury member. But she hopes it’s not her outfits that make the headline.)
“I hope we realise that there is so much more… Of course, fashion is fun, it should be fun. And it’s also a very personal thing. But I hope that Indian media has learned from that last experience and realises that we have the power to actually change that narrative and talk about what a big moment this is for India,” Padukone told PTI in an online interview ahead of the festival.
PHOTO: GETTY
“I don’t think it deserves pages and pages of news. I think what we should be talking about is the celebration of India. The celebration of Indian talent and cinema,” she added. Deepika Padukone said she is curious about the two weeks she will spend watching films and interacting with fellow jury members.
“While it does feel like a personal victory, it also feels like a slightly larger victory for the South Asian community… We can literally count on our fingertips the number of times anyone from India has been on the jury or has had the opportunity to represent the country at a platform such as this,” Deepika Padukone asserted.
“To see India being recognised at a global level at a platform like this… I think it says a lot about where we are as a nation and the road ahead for us as a nation,” she added.
Deepika Padukone at Cannes Film Festival
Deepika Padukone’s bio on the official Cannes website reads “Indian actress, producer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur Deepika Padukone, is a huge star in her country. With other 30 feature films to her credit, she made her English language film debut as the female lead in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, co-starring Vin Diesel. She is also the principal of a Ka Productions, the production company behind Chhapaak and ’83, in which she also starred, as well as the upcoming film The Intern.
PHOTO: DEEPIKA PADUKONE/INSTAGRAM
“Credits include Gehraiyaan and Padmaavat, as well as the award-winning and critically acclaimed film Piku. In 2015, she set up The Live Love Laugh Foundation, whose programs and initiatives aim to destigmatize mental illness and raise awareness about the importance of mental health. In 2018, Time Magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.”
