Cannes was hard won: 'Bombay Talkies' producer

It took Ashi Dua, producer of 'Bombay Talkies', three-and-a-half years to turn her dream into reality. Her ambitious project was released on May 3 this year and has garnered good reviews from critics. Now her team is all set for an international premiere at Cannes on the 19th of this month. “I am happy that the Indian audience loved it and I am proud to now take it to the international crowd,” she said.
However, getting an international premiere at Cannes wasn’t easy. She explained: “They don’t usually allow a premiere on an already-released film. Cannes officials kept telling us not to release the film as they wanted to give us a world premiere.”
But Ashi was not ready to give up. She went to Paris to convince the officials. “I showed them the film. I told them how May 3 was a symbolic day for Indian cinema and almost begged them to allow me to release the film in my country. I told them we will show the film in other countries only after the international premiere at Cannes. They understood the emotions and agreed,” she elaborates.
However, Ashi makes it clear that the film is for the Indian audience first. “I would have let go of Cannes if they didn't allow us to release it here. For me India is more important,” she emphasises.
It is because of her never-say-die attitude that the film finally saw the light of the theatres. Even after being turned down by several filmmakers, she managed to get four of the best directors on board and the result is for everyone to see. And today she is content with how the project has turned out. “It couldn’t have been better,” she says.
Post Cannes, Ashi has projects lined up. “There are two scripts that I have loved. Will take those up once I am back,” she says.
Charulata's rejection on technical grounds Way back in 1965, one of Satyajit Ray's most celebrated works, Charulata (1964), was rejected at the Cannes Film Festival because the jury felt it had technical flaws. Forty-eight years later, the same film has found a place at the French Riviera. Interestingly, though rejected at Cannes, the film won Ray his second Silver Bear for Best Director in a row at the Berlin International Film Festival, the same year. “Some said that there was a rule that Cannes would not accept a film that was previously shown at film festivals (Berlin film festival),” said Soumitra Chatterjee, Dadasaheb Phalke award winning actor, who played the lead in Ray’s ‘technically most perfect film.’ All well that ends well, we say.