"Hurts to see people shamelessly hog the limelight": Pallavi Joshi on fashion overshadowing cinema at Cannes | Exclusive

Pallavi Joshi

Veteran actress and producer Pallavi Joshi recently attended the Cannes Film Festival for the screening of her film Tanvi - The Great, and while the film received overwhelming love from the international audience, Joshi expressed concern over the growing emphasis on fashion at the prestigious event.

Pallavi Joshi on fashion overshadowing cinema

Speaking candidly about how the focus has shifted in recent years, Joshi said, "The festival is very different from what we do in India or even other global festivals. Here, to make it bigger every year, they need sponsors. Naturally, sponsors want visibility in return. So if L'Oréal is a sponsor, their ambassador Aishwarya Rai Bachchan walks the red carpet - that's how L'Oréal makes its presence felt. This is how it all started."

However, she added that the red carpet culture has gone beyond brand representation, leading to a dilution of the festival's original intent. "This is essentially a platform for actors who have done the films that are selected here. This is a creative platform. This is where technicians, like directors, cinematographers, music directors, editors, actors have to be celebrated. Anyone and everyone wants to be a celebrity today, and they (people with no connection with films) just shamelessly come and hog the limelight. It's very sad and hurts my heart," she added.

Despite her criticism, Joshi remains optimistic. "It's only one festival," she said. "We still have other festivals around the world where art and creativity are celebrated with the sincerity they deserve."

Pallavi on reaction to Tanvi-The Great

On a brighter note, Joshi shared her joy at the positive reception of Tanvi - The Great, which tells the story of a child on the autism spectrum. "The audiences loved it. One veteran director, who has had several films at Cannes, came to see the film and absolutely loved it," she recalled. "Even at the London premiere, the response was overwhelmingly warm."

She added, "People are walking away from the film with hearts full of love for autistic children. They're realizing these children are not to be pitied, but to be admired - they have superpowers. The film is very positive and sends a clear message: autistic children are different, but no less."

With Tanvi - The Great being so well received, Joshi hopes the conversation around inclusivity, empathy, and meaningful storytelling continues far beyond the red carpet flashes.