The 2018 edition of the Cannes Film Festival, set to open on May 8, will feature two women filmmakers competing from India: Nandita Das’ Manto in the official ‘Un Certain Regard’ section and Rohena Gera’s Sir in the parallel ‘International Critics’ Week’. And widely expected to make things larger than life for India in the French Riviera town is Dhanush.
The Tamil star will showcase the Indo-French production, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir , in one of the many events on the sidelines of the festival. The “comic adventure”, directed by Canadian filmmaker Ken Scott, is the star’s first international project and will be released in English and French. The French producer of the film is Brio Films of Luc Bossi, who has also co-written the film. The Indian co-producers include Little Red Car Films, M! Capital Ventures, and Impact Films.
The film (along with Manto ) will be honoured at the India Day celebrations at the festival on May 11. The India poster for the film will be unveiled by the cast. A question-answer session with the film’s team will also be organised at the India pavilion in Marche du Cinema (Cannes Film Market).
Not art house
The film is based on a French novel, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe , by Romain Puertolas. According to a spokesperson of the Indian producers, it is not an art house film. “While the book was in a fantastical zone, the film is an accessible fable, an entertainer,” said the spokesperson.
The French producers were initially thinking of casting Dev Patel or Kunal Nayyar in the lead. However, with two big stars like Dhanush and Bernice Bejo on board in the lead roles, and the veteran Gerard Jugnot in a key role, the film has turned out to be a “true collaboration between India and France” for its makers and is expected to attract audiences in both countries.
The film also stars American actress Erin Moriarty of True Detective fame and Barkhad Abdi, the Somali-American actor best known for his BAFTA-winning performance in Captain Phillipe . “It is a stellar salad of a cast from all continents, held together by Dhanush,” said the spokesperson.
The film is set in Mumbai, Paris, the Falklands, Spain, Rome and Libya, and will release in France on May 30. The spokesperson said it had been sold in 100 countries. The dates for the India release will be out soon, and there will be a different promotional campaign for the film here.
