US, Aug. 19 -- On May 17, 2025, I stood in a vibrant room at the opulent Carlton Hotel in Cannes, South of France, the air thick with the scent of ambition and champagne. The room hummed with the elite of the Indian and global film industries-friends, supporters, and powerbrokers-gathered to witness the unveiling of my fifth book, Namaste Cannes, at the prestigious Festival de Cannes. It was a moment of triumph, a mission long in the making.

In 1982, as a wide-eyed high schooler in Delhi, I first caught wind of the Festival de Cannes, a distant dream that sparked my imagination. Years later, the renowned international film producer Ismail Merchant, with his infectious passion for the cinematic arts, urged me to experience the magic of Ca...