Cannes Festival
Deepika Padukone, who is serving on the jury of the 75th Cannes Film Festival, said that it “gives me goosebumps every single time I walk into the Palais and we leave — it gives me goosebumps because every single person on that seat is there to celebrate cinema.”
Some of the fellow jurors’ work was recognisable to Deepika, such as Asghar Farhadi and Rebecca Hall, but not all.
Deepika told IANS, “I wasn’t totally familiar with all of them, as is the case with all of the jurors.” “I believe we all did some research on our fellow jury members and saw some of their work. So you understand where they’re coming from or what kind of film appeals to them even when you’re deliberating.”
The actor sees serving on the Cannes jury as a natural next step in her career, although she was taken aback by the invitation. “They (the festival management) appear to be certain about their decision. And that makes me wonder if I’m not giving myself enough credit,” she added, adding, “If I’ve landed here today without even noticing it, I must be doing something well.””
The actor, who co-starred with Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham in Siddharth Anand’s “Pathaan,” is currently working on Nag Ashwin’s “Project K.” Next up is Amitabh Bachchan in the Indian remake of “The Intern,” which she is also producing through her KA Productions in collaboration with Warner Bros. and Sunir Kheterpal for Athena.
Deepika and her husband, Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh, will make Cannes a regular mid-year vacation destination. Her jury service gives them future access to the jury box.
“We’re just going to be here for two weeks,” Deepika explained. “Sneak in and out, watch movies. We’ll be as giddy as children at a candy store.”
