Kinnari Jain On Her Cannes Debut In Support Of 'Manthan': Says, '...Brings Indian Culture On A Global Platform'

In an interview with ABP Live over email, Kinnari talked about her journey of being a fashion influencer and what drew her to support 'Manthan' at the Cannes Film Festival.

Kinnari Jain, a Mumbai-based fashion influencer and wardrobe consultant, best known for her engaging content in body inclusivity, personal styling and wearable fashion, will be present at the Cannes Film Festival, marking her debut at the event. She will be gracing the red carpet and attending the screening of the Indian film, 'Manthan' as well as the Cannes Official Afterparty.

The restored version of veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s 1976 film ‘Manthan’ by the Film Heritage Foundation, will be screened under Cannes Classics, a section created 20 years ago that features celebrations, restored prints and documentaries. Co-written by Benegal and celebrated playwright Vijay Tendulkar, Gujarat-set ‘Manthan’, starring Smita Patil, is the first crowd-funded Indian film which was entirely crowdfunded by 500,000 farmers who donated ₹2 each. The film won two National Film Awards in 1977: for Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Screenplay for Tendulkar. It was also India’s official entry to the 1976 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The film was inspired by the pioneering milk cooperative movement of Verghese Kurien, who led ‘Operation Flood’ to transform India from a milk-deficient country to the world’s biggest milk producer.

In an interview with ABP Live over email, Kinnari talked about her journey of being a fashion influencer and what drew her to support 'Manthan' at the Cannes Film Festival.

Here Are Some Excerpts From The Interview:

• Can you tell us about your journey from being a technology consultant at Deloitte to becoming a prominent fashion influencer and content creator?

I started my journey in the IT industry in 2019 after completing my Masters from the Kelley School of Business. At that time I had already developed an inclination towards styling but never thought of pursuing it as a career or starting an insta page. It was only after I moved to India in 2022 that I realized that even though there were many fashion content creators, there was a dearth of personal style content creators which is why I decided to start this page. I juggled this along with my IT 9 to 5 at Meesho as a product manager for about a year before I reached 250K followers and decided to pursue content creation full-time.

• How is it being selected to attend the Cannes Film Festival for the first time? What does this opportunity mean to you?

I received a call from the Film Heritage Foundation about 15 days before the Cannes Film Festival commenced. They invited me to attend the world premiere of the 4K restoration of Shyam Benegal’s milestone film 'Manthan’(1976). I was ecstatic and was in disbelief for quite some time that I was given the privilege and honour to support the social cause that is conveyed through this film. My team and I worked endlessly to put everything together for the big day. I am extremely grateful to the Film Heritage Foundation for bestowing me with this opportunity. This opportunity means the world to me. It makes me feel that my work is being validated and thus pushes me to work even harder and provide my audience and fans with more quality content. 

• What drew you to support the screening of the film 'Manthan' at Cannes, and what significance does this film hold for you?

It is any Indian’s dream to represent the country on an International platform and when I was given this opportunity, I was over the moon. And that too for Manthan! Manthan is more than a movie. It represents a movement that has had such an impact not just in India but globally for decades, and is still going strong to this day. This Dairy development program is a shining example of the power of India and its citizens to great such a massive impact. Manthan as a movie so wonderfully captures this and is epitomized further by how the film has been funded by the farmers of this nation. As an Indian, it is an extremely proud moment to have this film showcased on the world stage and it was a no-brainer for me to support it in whatever capacity I could.

• 'Manthan' is a film that highlights the story of the milk cooperative movement in India. How do you see fashion intersecting with social and cultural narratives, as depicted in this film?

Manthan brings Indian culture and heritage on a global platform with the Cannes Film Festival. It brings the Indian attire of the heartland to the forefront and allows it to be recognised worldwide. So many of my international followers message me about trying out Indian Wear cause they are influenced to do so by the content we create. That’s the power of the traditional garments of India. They are so unique, elegant & beautiful and have stood the test of time due to the materials used and their versatility, and they deserve all the attention of the world!