While Indian television actor Hina Khan’s glorious gowns at the 75th Cannes Film Festival caught everyone’s eyes, they failed to land her up on the guest list of the Indian Pavilion, an event that highlights Indian cinema.

Hina, who flew to the French Riviera to release the poster of her upcoming international project ‘Country of Blind’, expressed her disappointment over not being invited to the event, which was inaugurated by Union I&B Minister Anurag Thakur in front of a star-studded audience that consisted of Deepika Padukone, Urvashi Rautela, Tamannaah Bhatia, Pooja Hegde and Mame Khan.

During the event, Padukone, Bhatia, Rautela and Hegde danced together on the ‘Padmaavat’ track. 

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Attributing her snub to the elitism that continues to exist in the film and entertainment industry, Khan said, “There is an elitist system, this elitist game, which still exists. There was an opening ceremony that happened at the Indian Pavilion. There was everyone, all the talents, my contemporaries, and not just from Bollywood. It’s not that I envy them, I am so proud of them. But at the same time, it is a bit disheartening, why was I not there? Why was I not there? I could have been there, probably in the audience, at least, cheering for them when they were doing the Ghoomar. I loved the video, I felt so proud of my country.” 

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Khan, who made her debut at the film festival in 2019, also acknowledged how things have transformed for her.

“Things changed after Cannes for me, I would not deny that. Things did get a bit easier when it comes to work, meeting people, how they look at you, how they greet you, and the designer stuff that we wear… Of course, there are many who still have their reservations, but there are many who reached out to me and told me, ‘We are not like others, you can reach out to us’. In terms of work, it’s been different, it’s been nice. I always look at the brighter side, but at the same time, it is tough as well… Sometimes, you might not be allowed to enter a certain space, so you have to create your own table,” she told the Film Companion.