Popularity of red carpet shouldn't overshadow cinema: Boman Irani on Cannes Film Festival

ACTOR-director Boman Irani says he understands the glamour aspect of the Cannes Film Festival but believes the spotlight should remain on the artistes who are finally getting their moment in the sun.

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Irani, who attended the film gala last month for the screening of Anupam Kher's director "Tanvithe Great" at the Marche du Film, said what filmmaker Payal Kapadia and Neeraj Ghaywan have achieved at the festival is inspiring.

"There is nothing wrong with having the red carpet, people and the glamour. The glamorous side of the world gets represented far more strongly than the cinematic side of it. However, what happens is that everything goes hand in glove.

"But there has to be a bit of imbalance at this point of time. I saw a photograph of Payal and Neeraj Ghaywan together; to me, that's the festival. People who love cinema will find inspiration in what Payal and Neeraj have done," the 65-year-old actor told PTI in an interview.

Ghaywan's second feature film "Homebound" received a nine-minute standing ovation at the prestigious film festival following its screening in the Un Certain Regard section. He had earlier premiered his acclaimed debut feature Masaan at Cannes in 2015.