A gold Kanjivaram sari by Falguni Shane Peacock over an embellished off-shoulder corset blouse, paired with elbow-length burgundy gloves, the look completed with a vintage wavy updo. Trust Kangana Ranaut to make waves with everything she does — so no half measures on the Cannes red carpet either. Her first look at this year’s film festival was in sharp contrast to the shimmery black Sabyasachi sari, emerald choker and voluminous hair she sported at her debut last year (we were reminded of a desi Audrey Hepburn). She went on to serve plenty of retro vibes in 2018, including a sequinned jumpsuit by Turkish designer Nedret Taciroglu and a red faux leather dress by Nanushka with tiny sunglasses from Poppy Lissiman.

This time around, the Grey Goose ambassador for their ‘Live Victoriously’ campaign is mixing it up. Ranaut has opted again for a Taciroglu outfit — a pant-suit with exaggerated collar, gold trimmings and a cream bustier, as she headed for a Grey Goose party. She paired this with nude lips, slicked back hair and a bold eye. She slipped with ease from boss babe mode to a dreamy look for day two on the red carpet, sporting a blush pink embroidered Michael Cinco couture gown, with lilac earrings by Chopard. It’s shown to best effect on her Instagram handle, as she poses on the iconic stairs of The Martinez hotel.

The outfits went minimal as she attended a Chopard party dressed in a white one-shoulder gown with a cowl neck, by Australian designer Toni Matičevski. A statement blue cat-eye and diamond and emerald earrings by Sweta Mehta completed the look. Excerpts from the interview.

What was the process of coming up with your look for this year?

Cannes is about expressing yourself through fashion, so we’re not confining ourselves; instead we’re doing various looks. I have a great styling team and this is the time of the year when they kind of take over my life. Ami Patel has done a great job; I only participate in trials and give my feedback on what I’m comfortable with, and what resonates with me.

Quentin Tarantino’s movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is releasing on the same date as your Mental Hai Kya — is the director and cast (Brad Pitt and Leonardo di Caprio) on your list of people to meet?

I would love to meet them sometime. For me, it is more inspiring when I see their performances, rather than having a one-on-one conversation. I’m pretty sure they have nothing extra to share with me, as we all lead similar lives. But, in terms of their art and their craft, I really look forward to their work.

Who are some of the other actors and filmmakers you’re looking forward to meeting?

As an actor, I believe in showing faith in scripts which will be backed by studios and financiers. Mental Hai Kya’s director [Prakash Kovelamudi] is relatively new — it’s his first Hindi film. So is the writer [Kanika Dhillon]. When she came to me, none of her films had released (since then, she has had movies like Manmarziyaan and Kedarnath to her credit). I like to show faith in new people, even though there are a lot of great veterans out there — but they already know what to do and where to go.

Was there any particular memory from your Cannes debut that you’d like to revisit this time around?

I come to Cannes with Grey Goose, which is an absolutely fun brand. There is no pressure to look a certain way or to do certain things. It’s a bunch of people that I know very closely and I am very comfortable around. This time, we are looking forward to having a shoot on a yacht.