Bhabna ‘Cannes’ do it
The usual scenario of attending any film festival is that artistes go to showcase their films. An unusual scenario took place when Bangladeshi actress Ashna Habib Bhabna returned from the 77th Cannes International Film Festival, after scoring a Malaysian movie.
As soon as Bhabna returned home, she spared some time for a glamourous photoshoot with The Daily Star.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. 
"The experience was a dream come true and the tour was completely worth it," shared the artiste. "The first actress to walk on the red carpets of the prestigious Cannes was legendary actress Babita, and we also saw Jaya Ahsan visiting the Cannes, so I had a dream to visit the French Riviera someday to represent my country."
She informed that after applying to the festival as a South Asian actress, she received an accreditation letter to attend the event. She got around 20 days to prepare for the adventurous solo trip. "As I was selecting my attires for the festival, I was quite concerned about the fact that I would be representing my country, my culture, my family-- swiftly blended with my taste, which ultimately showcased during the festival."
Renowned Indian newspaper Times of India published an article titled, "Sari not sorry! This Bangladeshi actress dressed better than any Bollywood star at Cannes"—remarking on her great fashion sense. "I consider this as an award for myself, the report was such a sweet surprise for me. I saw the article when I returned to Dhaka. I have pinned this message on my Facebook timeline as well."
During the eight days of her solo trip, she enjoyed the premiers of many films, walked on the official red carpet wearing her mother's elegant wedding saree, and also graced the event with some unique attires, that caught everyone's attention.
Her outfits for the festival included traditional jamdani, a gown made with Banarsee material, and a crow-styled fancy outfit, which earned her praises. During her visit, she also signed a Malaysian film "Zenubia", announced to be directed by Bangladeshi-born filmmaker Zafor Firoze, and executive produced by Qiao Li. "The director told me that he had been trying to reach me for a long time, and when we met at the festival, he approached me for this work; everything seemed like a miracle to me!"
According to Bhabna, it has been a great experience for her as she could meet many international artistes and directors there. "There is a misconception regarding the festival that you can only attend if you go with your work. Many international artistes visit the festival for networking, to approach or collaborate for new projects. It is a huge arena and the film market itself is a great way of worldwide networking. As a media personality, anyone can visit the event if they are eligible and receive an invitation from the festival."
Bhabna mentioned that one of her dresses carried the names of her most favourite actresses, which included Meryl Streep, Audrey Hepburn, Babita and Suborna Mustafa. "It was another miracle that my first visit coincided with Meryl Stripe receiving an Honourary Palme d'Or at the festival. I also tried to attend her masterclass. However, unfortunately, I couldn't participate as the house was full."
The actress had the opportunity to watch the premiere of the Chinese film "Caught by the Tides", directed by Jia Zhangke. "After walking the official red carpet, I watched this film at Rumer Hall, and at that time, I made a wish that one day my film would be premiered in this hall, which I believe will come true someday!"
As Bhabna dreams big, she is now flooded with good wishes and appreciation from her admirers. At the same time, she is also facing criticism, as she was trolled on social media a few days ago for posting a picture of a cow standing on a truck in extreme heat. Bhabna posted the picture with an emotional message in Bangla, which loosely translates to-- "Can the sound of my weeping be heard in your chaotic city?"
To this, the actress remarked, "I feel people take me very seriously, or they love me too much. Otherwise, this simple post wouldn't go viral. I saw an animal suffering in the heat, where I was sitting in an air-conditioned car, it deeply hurt me, and I couldn't resist posting this, as I always do. I didn't suggest anybody to refrain from eating meat, nor did I say I don't eat meat."
Bhabna has three films awaiting theatrical release—"Dampara", "Payel" and "Japito Jibon". The actress also shared that the shooting of "Zenubia" would commence from November in Malaysia.
Comments