That is his second time on the Cannes Movie Pageant as part of the Indian delegation and Madhur Bhandarkar is thrilled to be again. The filmmaker, who has simply returned from the French Riviera tells us, “It’s a great way to meet people from across the world. I always say that Cannes has been the mother of film festivals!. I am always excited to meet the technicians and story writers from different countries, and watch their movies. So, it’s a great feeling.”

Madhur Bhandarkar meets Michael Douglas at Cannes 2023

On of the highlights of his go to this 12 months, he shares, was getting to satisfy Hollywood star Michael Douglas. “It was absolutely a big fan moment for me,” says Bhandarkar, including, “A friend introduced me to Michael sir at the Indian Pavilion. We’ve grown up watching Michael Douglas films. He was barely there for 10-12 minutes and we kept talking about all his great films, like Basic Instinct (1992) and Wall Street. I have been a great admirer of his film King Of California. He is very gracious; such a great personality.”

The India Lockdown and Babli Bouncer (each 2022) director, who final attended the competition in 2019, feels India’s imprint on the worldwide map is just rising with every passing 12 months. “For instance, at the Indian Pavillion, (politician) Khushboo, (actors) Sara Ali Khan and Vijay Varma, (producer) Guneet Monga, Dr L Murugun (Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting) spoke about how India has left a strong mark globally, especially over the last 10 years,” he continues, “In terms of the kind of cinema we are making, the world saw how RRR (2022) and Naatu Naatu (Oscar-winning song)caught attention. And here at Cannes also, when I interacted with people, I got a phenomenal response on Naatu Naatu. So, people are talking and are curious about the kind of cinema and content we make. The surge of OTT has also been huge.”

Beaming with delight, the filmmaker provides, “I have been a very frequent visitor of film festivals across the globe. From the time I started making films, I have been in the juries as well. And I have seen that we are the biggest production house in the world, when it comes to cinema.”