The French Riviera was transformed into rural India on the 21st of May 2012, as Gangs Of Wasseypur, the much-anticipated film by acclaimed director Anurag Kashyap, was celebrated at a special star-studded cocktail party, hosted by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, to honour its inclusion in the prestigious 65^th Cannes Film Festival’s Director’s Fortnight – the first time that a mainstream Bollywood film has had this honour.

Hailed as one of the most happening Bollywood parties of Cannes this year, gangs of curious guests at the cocktail party, which was held at the stunning NFDC Indian Pavilion, were given red branded gamchchas(bandanas) which are symbolic to the film. The international media, film executives, and VIPs took to wearing the gamchchas with pride to demonstrate their appreciation for the film. The gamchchas projected an earthy vibe of the film, which deals with 60 years of a feuding family’s life in the coal mining town of Dhanabad in Jarkhand, India.

Attendees were also welcomed by a champagne cocktail reception and treated to mouth-watering Indian delicacies, which brought a taste of India to Cannes.

Gangs Of Wasseypur, a mainstream Indian film, combines clever filmmaking with a powerful, high-concept and entertaining plot, with revenge at its core. Accentuated by strong performances by a talented and eclectic cast consisting of Hindi cinemas finest, Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Richa Chadda, the film is cleverly told in two parts. Gangs Of Wasseypur represents the brave new Indian cinema breaking the cliches and conventions, something which Anurag Kashyap has come to be known for. The film is presented by one of India’s leading integrated film companies, Viacom18 Motion Pictures and produced by AKFPL.Anurag Kashyap and the film’s actress Huma Qureshi who is a rising Bollywood beauty, experienced Cannes’ very own monsoon, greeted the flurry of media who interviewed them about their upcoming Indian blockbuster.

The world premiere of Gangs Of Wasseypur will be held on the 22nd May 2012 at the ‘Directors Fortnight’ at the Marriott, Cannes. Other highlights for the film during the festival week will include a debate forum on Bollywood’s changing place within Indian cinema on 23rd May.

The Indian cinematic masterpiece Gangs Of Wasseypur, is set to make film history as the first commercial Bollywood film to be part of the 65th Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight segment.

Produced and presented by one of India’s leading integrated film companies, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, with the young, cutting-edge film director Anurag Kashyap at the helm, Gangs Of Wasseypur is a mainstream commercial Indian film, which tells an epic tale, spanning 60 years of a feuding family’s life set against the backdriop of the rural coal communities in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India.

Gangs Of Wasseypur combines clever filmmaking with a powerful, high-concept and entertaining plot, with revenge at its core. Accentuated by esteemed performances by a talented and eclectic cast consisting of Hindi cinemas finest, Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Richa Chadda, the film is cleverly told in two separate films. Generating widespread interest from critics and audiences alike,Gangs Of Wasseypur breaks with Indian cinema conventions in the same mould as the Academy Award winning film Slumdog Millionaire, and other acclaimed films such as Bandit Queen.

Anurag Kashyap is renowned for his work in creating a niche in Indian cinema’s ‘avant-garde’ space. He is also the mastermind behind Indian cinematic directorials as Black Friday, a controversial and award-winning film about the 1993 Mumbai bombings, and the award-winning  screenwriter of such international cinematic successes as Satya and Water.

Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and the Cannes Film Festival will hold special media and trade screenings of Gangs Of Wasseypur on the 22nd of May 2012. Other highlights for the film during the festival week will include cocktails hosted by Viacom18 Motion Pictures at the NFDC India Pavilion,and a debate forum on Bollywood’s changing place within Indian cinema.

 Viacom 18 Motion Pictures’ presence at the Cannes Film Festival 2012 will be a holistic celebration of Indian cinema’s vast contribution to the world of entertainment.