Actor Hina Khanwho is currently attending the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, made her displeasure at not being invited to the opening ceremony for the Indian delegation known. In an interview, she said that things have changed in the industry (and for her) in the last few years, especially after she first appeared at Cannes, but not nearly enough has happened to erode the lines between movie stars and television stars.
She told Film Companion on the sidelines of the event that an ‘elitist’ attitude still exists in the industry, especially against ‘television stars’ such as herself. Hina said that she would’ve liked to have attended the opening ceremony, even as an audience member, but wasn’t extended an invitation. India is the country of honor at the 75th Cannes Film Festival.
“Things changed after Cannes for me, I would not deny that,” she said. “Things did get a bit easier when it comes to work, meeting people, how they look at you, how they greet you, and the designer stuff that we wear… Of course, there are many who still have their reservations, but there are many who reached out to me and told me, ‘We are not like others, you can reach out to us’. In terms of work, it’s been different, it’s been nice. I always look at the brighter side, but at the same time, it is tough as well… Sometimes, you might not be allowed to enter a certain space, so you have to create your own table…”
Citing the example of the opening ceremony from earlier this week, she said, “We all belong to the same industry, we all belong to the entertainment business, we have all come here to represent India. I am very excited to launch the poster of my film, everyone there knows that I’m coming to launch the poster of my film… I was very excited… Then comes the news…”
She added, “There is an elitist system, this elitist game, which still exists. There was an opening ceremony that happened at the Indian pavilion. There was everyone, all the talents, my contemporaries, and not just from Bollywood. It’s not that I envy them, I am so proud of them. But at the same time, it is a bit disheartening, why was I not there? Why was I not there? I could have been there, probably in the audience, at least, cheering for them when they were doing the Ghoomar. I loved the video, I felt so proud of my country.”
Earlier this week, Deepika Padukone, Pooja Hegde, Tamannaah Bhatia and Urvashi Rautela attended the opening ceremony of the India pavilion, where they were joined by I&B minister Anurag Thakur. They danced to the song Ghoomar together, and the video was widely shared online.
Hina said that she believes in being vocal about her feelings. “Let the world know how I feel,” she concluded, with the hope that she is invited next year.
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