How advertising acumen of Shyam Benegal managed a full house for his film Nishant at Cannes Film Festival


By Rajesh Ahuja

Amid the marketing blitzkrieg by Hollywood film studios for their films at the international film festivals like the Cannes , it is worthwhile to look at the innovative promotion by Indian filmmakers over the years for their films at platforms like the Oscar's and the Cannes Film Festival.

Ahead of the Cannes Film Festival 2022, veteran actor and National Film award winning actress Shabana Azmi recalled how the innovative advertising strategy by National award winning filmmaker ensured a full house at ghe screening of his film Nishant at the Cannes Film Festival in 1976.

Posting a throwback  picture of herself , Shyam Benegal and her Nishant co actress Smita Patil at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival,  Shabana revealed that in the absence  of any publicity material and money for promotion of their  film Nishant at the Cannes Film Festival 1976, Shyam Benegal used his advertising acumen to promote the film.


Advertising acumen of Shyam Benegal managed a full house for his film Nishant at Cannes Film Festival in 1976



'We had no publicity material and no money so Shyam Benegal asked Smita Patil and me to wear our best sarees and walk up and down the promenade to attract attention.

And when people turned around to look at these strange looking exotic creatures, we would persuasively plead 'our film is showing on so and so date please come to watch' it and it managed a full house! That was the advertising acumen of Shyam Benegal,'Shabana Azmi recalled.

Directed by Shyam Benegal, Nishant , focussing on the power of the rural elite and the sexual exploitation of women, during the time of feudalism in India, was
selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival.

Based on an original screenplay by noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar, with dialogues by Satyadev Dubey, Nishant features an ensemble of parallel cinema actors including Girish Karnad, Amrish Puri, Shabana Azmi, Mohan Agashe, Anant Nag and Sadhu Meher with Smita Patil and Naseeruddin Shah (In his film debut).

Nishant  won the 1977 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.  The film was invited to the London Film Festival of 1976, the Melbourne International Film Festival of 1977, and the Chicago International Film Festival of 1977, where it was awarded the Golden Plaque.

Nishant is among the landmark films in the field of art house cinema. 


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