Actor-producer Namita Lal recalls her red carpet moment at the Cannes Film Festival

How was the experience of walking the red carpet at Cannes?

The experience of visiting Cannes is amazing. To be on the red carpet with these people is incredible as well. I am here with two of my films. I got the invite through some close friends in the industry in France. It is so different this year, after two years of Covid.

Which two films of yours have been recognised at Cannes?

The two films are Country of Blind, which is directed by Rahat Kazmi. It’s based on the iconic HG Well’s story of the same name. It is set in the 1870s. The second film is Before Life After Death, an intense human drama directed by Anshul Tiwari again, an award-winning director. We shot it during Covid times in 2020 and 2021 in Singapore.

How was it meeting Deepika Padukone who is a part of the Cannes jury this year?

Deepika was dressed in an amazing saree and looked stunning. I was in a saree too. We attracted a lot of attention!

Tell us about your interaction with A R Rahman at Cannes.

It was a pleasure to be in the same arena as AR Rahman as well. He was here in 2019 also. I love all his songs. His earlier numbers in the Mani Ratnam movies are my all-time favorites. And, of course, his Jai Ho got us on the global stage.

How has the entertainment industry changed from the first time you went to Cannes?

With the rise of OTT, there is a parallel shift in the opportunity for actors, who are mature. Now, there is a lot of acceptance for people with talent. I am glad that at this time having left my banking career, the industry has welcomed me as an actor, producer, and a director.

It is said that theatre actors are better actors. Do you agree with this?

Theatre actors are very involved in character work. We spend a lot of time building a back story because you come on stage in the clothes of the character. You are a character when you walk on stage and for that you must do a lot of work. When you are on stage you get no retakes, and you have to be believable at that moment to the audience.

Do you think TV has an audience for this type of content?

Television can actually bring in some amount of change in the way they do the serials. Shows like Anupama are doing really good in terms of content and performances.