‘My dress got ready 2 hours before I had to leave’Actress Deepti Sadhwani, who very well aced her frills at the Cannes Film Festival this season, speaks to The Pioneer about her modelling days, and red carpet look for Cannes.
Shraddha Neware
This year’s Cannes Film Festival has left many people talking about fashion taking center stage on the red carpet. From celebrities to influencers, we’ve seen a diversity of colour combinations and innovation on the part of designers. Actress Deepti Sadhwani’s stunning performance at the event astounded many people. The one-of-a-kind appearance was stunning and seemed to evoke a message. Let’s find out more as the stunning actress reveals her red carpet look Excerpts from the interview:
How did you learn the ropes of your profession?
Beauty pageants began at a very young age, at the city level. I was Miss Lucknow, and then I competed in some small beauty pageants with names you wouldn’t recognise. Then I competed in Miss North India and won the contest. I opted for Femina, Miss India. I was among the top regionals. The entire process of whether or not a contender wins the crown consists of hard training, discipline, personality development, how to get up, how to sit down, how much you should smile in front of the camera, what your etiquette is, and how you walk. During these pageants, I learned all about ladylike manners. After winning Miss North India, my confidence skyrocketed, and I began conducting several interviews. I was all over the media when I was barely 18! Beauty pageants provided valuable training for me as a young and eager learner. So that was my training experience, and I believe it made a significant difference in shaping who I am today. And it has actually influenced my career.
What is your go-to fashion look?
When it comes to fashion, I strive to be versatile and avoid being the type of person who just wears one type of hairstyle, makeup, or clothes. I constantly look for what looks good on my body and makes me feel comfortable. Where I’m going determines my choice of dress, footwear, hair, and makeup. Most of the time, I prefer to go without makeup because we do so much of it during events. I believe that if I can look good in a pantsuit, short dress, or gown, I can do the same in Indian attire.
Can you tell us more about your red carpet look for Cannes?
So, basically, I didn’t have a stylist for my red carpet look and didn’t hire anyone because I wanted to design looks that reflected my individualism, personality, and the message I wanted to convey. Three months before Cannes, my friend and I, who is a designer, met together to discuss how and what to do. There was a lot of back and forth about things, whether it was design or colour. I knew my red carpet would be in the afternoon, so I decided to do something daytime with a literal touch of neon. After a lot of fabric selections, we settled on this colour, which was orangey with a tinge of neon, and we got about 100 meters, which ran out when we started stitching, and another 100 meters, which also ran out, so we had to go again for 50 meters. So around 250 meters of fabric were used. We were just doing frills and frills on the dress. We expected it to take a month, but this dress was ready barely two hours before I left for the airport, and I’m not exaggerating.
What are your thoughts on the evolution of women in cinema?
Women’s roles have always evolved over time, and we see women-centric films, documentaries, and web series being produced now that are performing quite well. You no longer need a hero to do justice, bring in numbers at the box office, or entice audiences to the cinema. For example, Sanjay Leela Bhansali embodies women’s sensuality in the web series Heeramandi. It was exclusively about ladies. And I believe that this should improve over time. I would like to see changes that ensure women receive equal pay. That is the only area where we are falling behind in the movie right now. Actors are paid approximately ten times more than actresses. There should be no gender discrimination in salaries.
Do you believe Indian cinema is being noticed these days?
The good news is that Indian cinema is receiving recognition on such large and prominent forums. Indian films are being exhibited at the Cannes Film Festival. Many Indian films are being presented in both main and short film categories. PSeople acknowledge and appreciate you when you claim, ‘I am from India’. When the international press and media interview you, they say, ‘Oh, you’re from India? It’s nice to have Indian films being played here.’ People recognise Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and other Indian actresses who visit there. They give you adequate prominence; you feel wanted, involved, and like you belong there because you are from India and represent Indian culture. That was the best part. When you’re on the red carpet, people hoot for you and make sure you smile, saying things like ‘I love your gown’, ‘You’re so amazing’, ‘This side, that side’, and ‘Give us a flying kiss’. So they say stuff like that, which makes you grin and take the best photos on the red carpet. It is very essential to me to reflect Indian culture. I wore a saree at Cannes, but not on the red carpet. But it was one of the looks we created during the day. More power to Indian cinema and culture, which are represented not only at Cannes but also at other film festivals!
