Diary of a first-timer at Cannes 2016: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on the red carpet, a melodramatic 'Sarabjit' and moreMay 15(AZINS) May 13

The day starts with an amusing press release. 'The Only Film In Festival De Cannes That No One Will Ever See,' it says. The name of the movie is 100 years, starring John Malkovich and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The film envisions Earth one hundred years from now and will not be released till 2115. It will have its official premiere on November 18, 2115. The only copy of this film is kept in a special safe (created in partnership with the world's leading safe and vaults manufacturers Fichet-Bauch). The safe works on time and once the door is shut it will only open after the countdown for hundred years is complete. The safe is located in the lobby of the hotel Majestic Barriere in Cannes and the entry to merely get a glimpse of the safe is exclusively for members. An interesting idea and a great gimmick too. What can one say about the film that nobody alive today will ever get to see? Great viewing, people, who would be able to witness it. And hope the film is appreciated then.

The Indian pavilion, as usual, is jam packed. A representative from Goa is asking people to come and shoot in his state and explaining what the state has to offer. So is Yash Raj Singh from the Uttar Pradesh Film Development Council. A sweet talker, he tells me, "We don't have an independent booth but this Indian pavilion is a great idea. I have come here to offer UP as a shooting destination. Salman Khan' s Sultan is shot in our state. We have state of the art studio. All facilities can be provided. My chief minister is dynamic and has a vision for the development of UP and is willing to travel an extra mile. The story doesn't have to happen in India, it can be an international subject that needs our location, like in Zero Dark Thirty for example they needed Tehran as their location. And I must tell you, I am getting great response."

May 14

The huge film market has a booth by the well known international distributors ‘Memento’ and they, after acquiring the rights, released Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court in France today. Dr. Jabbar Patel who is also here proudly gives this piece of news to me.

Today, Steven Spielberg's The BFG premiered at the Palais des Festivals and naturally pulled jam-packed crowds. The red carpet premiere of The BFG transpired in the evening with lots of celebrities stylishly walking down the red carpet, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being one of them.

There is a press screening of her film Sarabjit, directed by Omung Kumar, later and most of the Indian journalists make it a point to attend it, myself included. The film is two hours and fifteen minutes with songs and dance sequences. Though based on a real story, the film is very melodramatic.

The crowd in Cannes is as star-struck as their Indian counterparts. They are screaming when they see a celebrity and cheer for their favourite star. It is "Spielberg, Spielberg" all the way. The security for the red carpet is always very tight and the roads are cordoned off. The public though finds places from where they can get a glimpse of their favourite star. The red carpet is completely dominated by Hollywood and their films too draw most delegates. Is the number of English language films increasing at Cannes? Need to do some research on that.

But there is no doubt that the red carpet has added to the glamour of Cannes over the years and many international festivals have started emulating it including the Berlinale. I have always felt that there are two parts to any festival. One, where the stars walk on the red carpet, promote their films and go away. The second, where people who are interested in watching world cinema throng to the theatres. Both play an important role in the success of the festival.