The 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is all set to kick off on May 17th this year. While we await the dazzling stars walking down the red carpet, what’s even more exciting is the fact that Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone will not only walk the red carpet but will also be a part of the jury this time. The jury headed by French actor Vincent Lindon (who was awarded the Best Actor at Cannes in 2015), also includes Italian actor-director Jasmine Trinca, actress Rebecca Hall and Noomi Rapace, directors Asghar Farhadi, Ladj Ly, Jeff Nichols and Joachim Trier who will award the winners of this year’s Palme d’Or honours at the concluding ceremony on May, 28.
Deepika Padukone joins the Cannes Film Festival 2022 jury
Deepika took to Instagram and made an official announcement about the same through a statement in which Cannes described Deepika as an Indian Actress, producer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. The statement read, “Deepika Padukone is an internationally recognised actor, producer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur from India. With over 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 with Vin Diesel. She is also the principal of Ka Productions, the production company behind Chhapaak and 83, in which she also starred as the wife of Ranveer Singh, as well as the upcoming film The Intern. 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.”
In a statement, shared on the official website of Cannes Film Festival, Lindon said, “It is a great honour and source of pride to be entrusted, in the midst of the tumult of all the events we are going through in the world, with the splendid, weighty task of chairing the Jury of the 75th International Cannes Film Festival. With my jury, we will strive to take the best possible care of the films of the future, all of which carry the same secret hope of courage, loyalty and freedom, with a mission to move the greatest number of women and men by speaking to them of their common wounds and joys. Culture helps the human soul to rise and hope for tomorrow.”
Indian celebs who served as a special jury at Cannes
It’s indeed a matter of pride for the entire Indian film fraternity. Before Deepika, a few other Bollywood actresses have also been a part of the Cannes jury. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was the first Indian actress to become a part of the Cannes International Film Festival jury in 2003. Followed by Nandita Das in 2005, Sharmila Tagore in 2009, and Vidya Balan in 2013. Other Indian celebrities who have served as jury are director Chetan Anand in 1950, Mrinal Sen in 1983, Mira Nair in 1990, Arundhati Roy in 2000, and Shekhar Kapur in 2010.
Deepika has been a regular at Cannes since 2017, and has always managed to charm us with her sartorial style on the red carpet. This year, she surely took it a notch higher by being a part of the competition jury.