Cannes 2022: Why Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway's subtle red carpet couture wins against Indian celebs maximalist looks

The Cannes Film Festival marks its 75th edition this year, however, along with that it’s also India’s 75th year as an independent nation, and undoubtedly we’ve come a long way. Cannes 2022, saw an army of Indian representatives grace its red carpet. From Deepika Padukone’s debut as a jury member, to Aishwarya Rai’s 20th consecutive appearance on the carpet. From influencers like Malvika Sitlani and Masoom Minawala making their mark, to Mame Khan being the first Indian folk artist to walk the carpet, it’s been festive on the French Riviera in terms of Indian Representation. They have towered over the red carpet, quite literally, serving looks that are ostentatious, to the very least. 

It is fair to say, that despite occupying a sizeable carpet space, we’ve been extremely unimpressive when it comes to owning that same space. It begs the question, if maximalism and drama is mandatory in order for one to stand out? Larger-than-life sculpted gowns, elaborate trails, and too-much tulle – opulence is the memo for the Indian celebs this year it seems.

Drama once in a while, is exciting, but for that too be the prerequisite is troublesome, because when exaggerated costumes become the norm, year after year, the same celebs are compelled to go a step further, which would mean going bigger, and more bizarre, eventually leading to an extravagant mess being created like it was, this year. Simply put, there’s a fine line between opulence and crowdedness, and this year’s looks were treading on the latter.

Tamannaah Bhatia, Pooja Hedge, Hina Khan

Case in point, the red carpet veteran Aishwariya Rai, a woman who has given the Cannes red carpet, many iconic and memorable moments. From her yellow Neeta Lulla saree in her debut, to the shiny blue, Michael Cinco ball gown in 2017, to her purple lipstick in 2016 that sent the internet raging, a failed but nevertheless iconic moment. However, this year’s looks were a big miss, mainly because they looked like the former Miss World was trying incredibly hard to fit in.

75 years since the independence, there’s still an insecurity that shackles us, and it shows blatantly. Rai’s desire to stand out and fit in at the same time, was what went wrong the most. From her floral bouquet like Dolce and Gabanna gown that could give you an allergy just looking at it, to her sculpted Gaurav Gupta shimmery pink dress that towered over her unnatrually, the actress was disappointing to say the very least. 

Moving on, to Deepika Padukone, a jury member this year, who once again like Rai, fell prey to two things. One, the need to impress, and the insecurity of not being seen as an equal on the global stage, and two, the desire to increase the drama quotient, in order to fulfill the first need. Her first look, as a jury member was a blingy Sabya saree, however what the took all the attention was her bold, black eyes that became the meme content for the day, because it naturally looked appalling. A proud moment for India, Padukone could’ve easily donned an heirloom, or handicraft saree that represented Indian textiles and art, but instead opted for some spectacle-causing garment and look, that was hurtful to one’s eyes. 

Jury members Deepika Padukone and Rebecca Hall pose for photographers upon arrival at the opening ceremony and the premiere of the film 'Final Cut' at the 75th Cannes film festival on 17 May, 2022. AP

It’s not as if saree can’t create drama, it can and it has, best case in point Natasha Poonawalla’s Met Gala look, that was equal parts elegant and opulent, and definitely something that these ladies should take a cue from. However, Deepika’s saree look was less dramatic, and more of an Indian cocktail that tastes poorly. At the same time, saree can also create something simple, with no effort but yet graceful, for instance, Nandita Das’ every Cannes appearance or Vidya Balan’s saree outing in 2013. While I agree, that they might have failed to stand out, it is no exaggeration that they weren’t an embarrassing display of inferiority complex atleast. 

For another look, the Padukone wore a crimson red gown by Louis Vuitton, an otherwise simple look, ruined by a purposefully done frizzy and dry hair, that consumes the life out of the entire appearance. The reason for donning dry, and dead hair is unknown to us, but it surely depicts how in the desire to do something different, one ends up doing some dreadful. That said, the actress redeems her past faux pas with her ArdAzAei black pantsuit set, styled with a gorgeous Cartier statement neckpiece. The look is sober and elegant, but nevertheless stands out the most, making the point I’ve been trying to all along –  and that is, that less is more sometimes.

It is vital to remember that impact isn’t born out of using the most amount fabric, or having the longest circumference, it is in fact, born when every detail of the look – the garment, the jewellery, the hair and the makeup come together and work in a harmony. Take for example, Julia Roberts’s monochrome tuxedo by Louis Vuitton, or Anne Hathaway’s straight-fit dress by Armani Prive. While Indians on the carpet are trying to hard fit in with Western couture even after all these years, the A-listers there opted for something rather sober, and still made more impact. We have to learn, to get over our inferiority in respect to Western superiority, and for that we will have to embrace ourselves, our fashion, our personalities, and stop pretending to be something we are not. A mantra, that the carpet debutante Mame Khan followed to the T, while showing up in an outfit that was absolutely him, and not an attempt to fit in. 

The carpet saw the likes of Hina Khan, Urvashi Rautela, Pooja Hegde, and Aditi Rao Hydari, but it’s best we don’t dive into that discourse because they were all as unimpressive, barring Hydari who stole our breaths away with her first look, in plain white Sabya saree, that was in direct contrasts to Padukone’s golden and black saree.

Alas, the takeaway from this year’s Cannes outing is that, while we all desire to stand out, we must remember that the only way to do it, is to be ourselves, a memo that most Indian celebrities didn’t get, but then again, there’s always next year.

Takshi Mehta is a freelance journalist and writer. She firmly believes that we are what we stand up for, and thus you'll always find her wielding a pen.

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