Cannes: Gangs Of Wasseypur celebrated with cocktail party

The French Riveira was transformed into rural India on the 21st of May 2012, as Gangs Of Wasseypur, the much-anticipated film by acclaimed director Anurag Kashyap, was celebrated at a special star-studded cocktail party. It was hosted by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, to honour its inclusion in the prestigious 65th Cannes Film Festival's Director's Fortnight - the first time that a mainstream Bollywood film has had this honour.

Hailed as one of the most happening Bollywood parties of Cannes this year, gangs of curious guests at the cocktail party, which was held at the stunning NFDC Indian Pavilion, were given red branded gamchchas (bandanas) which are symbolic to the film. The international media, film executives, and VIPs took to wearing the gamchchas with pride to demonstrate their appreciation for the film. The gamchchas projected an earthy vibe of the film, which deals with 60 years of a feuding family's life in the coal mining town of Dhanabad in Jarkhand, India.

Attendees were also welcomed by a champagne cocktail reception and treated to mouth-watering Indian delicacies, which brought a taste of India to Cannes. Anurag Kashyap and the film's actress and rising Bollywood beauty Huma Qureshi, who experienced Cannes' very own monsoon, greeted the flurry of media who interviewed them about their upcoming Indian blockbuster.

Gangs Of Wasseypur, a mainstream Indian film, combines clever filmmaking with a powerful, high-concept and entertaining plot, with revenge at its core. Accentuated by strong performances by a talented and eclectic cast comprising of Hindi cinemas finest, Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Richa Chadda, the film is cleverly told in two parts. Gangs Of Wasseypur represents the brave new Indian cinema breaking the cliches and conventions, something which Anurag Kashyap has come to be known for. The film is presented by one of India’s leading integrated film companies, Viacom18 Motion Pictures and produced by AKFPL.

The world premiere of Gangs Of Wasseypur will be held on the 22nd of May 2012 at the ‘Directors Fortnight’ at the Marriott, Cannes. Other highlights of the film during the festival week will include a debate forum on Bollywood’s changing place within Indian cinema on the 23rd of May.