Once upon a time, the Cannes Film Festival was better known for its big, big parties than, well, for its cinema. And they happened on the pristine beach by the Mediterranean Sea that overlooked the majestic hills in a distance. The parties also happened in swanky five-star restaurants, on boats out at sea. I still remember a gala bash that the Kingfisher “King of Good Times” gave on a remote island off Cannes, and we were all taken in boats. I shared one with actors Rakesh Roshan, son Hrithik Roshan and his then rumoured girlfriend, Mexican star, Barbara Mori (who acted alongside Hrithik in the 2010 Kites). The two “lovers” tried to look aloof and sat at a distance, pretending hard not to let journalists like me get a whiff of their romance.
In my early years at Cannes in 1990s, many people came to the Croisette (Cannes’ beach front) to attend parties or gatecrash into them. A celebrated one used to be thrown by Variety. But then, one had to make a choice: you either attended parties, which went on till almost the crack of dawn or watch movies with the first one beginning at 8.30 in the morning. A serious journalist could not afford to miss this.
This year, just about everybody was expecting a huge bash after the screening of Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick on May 18. He is undoubtedly the biggest star in Hollywood, and there was a lot of buzz about this.
A Hollywood Reporter writeup says: “Would Paramount bring an aircraft carrier to the south of France for the festivities? Would there be shirtless football on the beach? Anything seemed possible, especially with the festival looking set to return to its partying best after two COVID-hit years.”
But none of this is going to happen with the star returning to London the same evening of the film screening to take part in Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. He will walk the red carpet there with Prince William and Kate Middleton on May 19 evening.
That day, Top Gun: Maverick will have its U.K premiere, and Cruise is not inclined to miss that. So, as disappointing as this may sound, Cannes does not seem be on Cruise’s list of top priorities.
So, for all those who were hoping to get an invite to the Top Gun party or gatecrash into it, they would have to settle for something else. But, for now, the question is, what else?
Read all the Latest Movies News here
Comments
0 comment