Day 19: My visit to the Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes film festival started from 12th May and will be held till 23rd May. I got a chance to be at this happening place at this happening time, on 14th May. Hundreds of cameras flashing and thousands of stars & invitees coming, descending down their cars before the red carpet, waving their hands, signing a few autographs, spreading a roar of excitement and ooh....this is Shaifali Gupta, signing in from Cannes, France.

I reached the venue i.e. the Palais des Festivals, and stood at a barrier for about 45 minutes before I saw a car passing by. This car mometarily had stopped near the red carpet entrance but was apparently moved forward, so I didn't paid any attention. When it was about to pass, I saw a lady draped in sari and I saw...Oh my God! Aishwarya Rai with her mother in the car. Luckily she didn't have perfect black car glasses. I could see her eye lashes, alas but not the blue eyes everyone dies for....but I saw her. For a few milli, micro (I don't know) seconds, my heart skipped a beat that I saw her.....Oh My God...I wanted to shout with excitement.

After 10-15 minutes, cars kept coming and stars came down their cars, I saw many of them but still didn't recognise them as I am not much into global cinema. I saw Aishwarya with her mother again on the red carpet. I saw her waving her hand to the fans, even giving them autographs. She was standing before me, at a distance of 100 mts or less, and still I was far to shout and say her name or take an autograph or a mental picture of her beauty. Well, it was an experience to see her. I will perhaps never forget.

Till Cannes, my celebrity spotting list is:
1. Shahrukh Khan
2. Juhi Chawla
3. Hariharan
4. Sanjeevani Bhilande
5. Aishwarya Rai
6. Prashant Tamang (Indian Idol-2009, met him in the lift in Bombay where these contestants stayed...yuck! he smelled of smoke badly but talked nicely)
7.Vinod Rathore
8. Annu Kapoor
9. Jagjit Singh (had been to his concert, and can never forget that evening, 17th July 1999 in Indore)
10. Ruby Bhatia
11. Anand Viswanathan & his wife. I actually asked his wife to let me stand near him and she stood besides me. (in Holland, 2005)

The list will be madly topped with Madhuri Dixit...wish I would see her in my lifetime...can this go in my bucket list ;-)