Gurinder among 18 directors to declare 'Paris Je t'aime' at Cannes

Cannes, May 19 (UNI) NRI film-maker Gurinder Chadha is here, not in connection with her ''Mistress of Spices'', which is not in the Cannes list but as a part of a unique film, ''Paris Je t'aime'' (Paris I Love You), which was put together by 18 international film directors.

A collection of romantic encounters, one in each of the 18 districts of Paris, the movie has episodes helmed by different directors each not exceeding 5 minutes. Many of the directors are Cannes regulars such as Gus Van Sant, the Coen Brothers, and actor-director Gerard Depardieu. The stars acting in this omnibus include Natalie Portman and veteran Hollywood actor Ben Gazzara.

Addressing a press conference, Ms Chadha revealed that when approached, she didn't take time to accept and even had the outline of her script in mind quickly. She said that she wanted to make a shot on a Muslim girl in Paris, and being allotted the 5th District, she found that it even had the Paris Mosque located there.

''So obviously, Allah had something to do with it'', she quipped.

An early contender for the Golden Palm this year is the renowned British film director Ken Loach, some of whose previous films like ''Hidden Agenda'' had won Cannes honours in the past.

His latest, ''The Wind That Shakes the Barley'', included in the Competition section, is a story of two brothers caught in the long-drawn Irish War of Independence of the early 20th century.

In its showing here, the two questions most asked, specially by the British media, were, ''why bring up that matter now, and isn't it anti-British?'' Loach denied both and said that it was not a question of the Brits bashing up the Irish. ''There are always armies of occupation somewhere in the world, being resisted by the people they are occupying''. He could have been motivated by the Iraq War and the British role in it which had so divided the domestic opinion in England, but he wasn't telling.

On the Indian front, film-maker Karan Johar has got over the loss of his bags en route to Cannes (the airlines restored it to him later). It had forced him to appear for the Cannes inaugural, on the red carpet in hired togs. ''Didn't feel like a waiter, but definitely from the Service industry!'' He is now busy promoting his under-production, ''Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna'' in the company of his leading lady, Preity Zinta. The movie is now expected to be ready for release in August. Aishwarya Rai, having done her own first appearance on the red carpet, is now busy with the promo work for the international cosmetics company, L'Oreal, with whom she has a long-term contract as a model.

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