Vidya Balan: Cannes I pull it off in a saree?

On Wednesday morning, Vidya Balan was chosen to be a part of the nine-member jury, headed by Steven Spielberg, at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The actress, who was busy shooting for a special song at Filmalaya studio for Ghanchakkar, did not have enough time to field media queries about the honour. But she did have time to make that one very critical call: to the man who has turned her into the biggest brand ambassador of the saree, Sabyasachi. Given that Vidya has never had an easy relationship with the fashion police, and how the Cannes red carpet comes under the severest scrutiny, sources close to the actress say she has been quite anxious about her high-profile appearance. When she called Sabya with a mix of excitement and apprehension, the feeling was mutual. A friend of the actress said: “Sabyasachi is very excited to be a part of Vidya’s big moment. They have become thick friends over the years and Vidya trusts the designer blindly when it comes to designing her sarees. However, Sabya is a bit nervous this time, as he doesn’t want anything to go wrong on the red carpet.” The designer called up Nisha Kundnani, an independent stylist who has worked with Aamir and Kiran Rao in the past. A source added: “Sabya requested Nisha to carry alternative options for Vidya, in case there were last-minute changes.” While Ash has mostly stuck to western designers for her Cannes appearances, Sonam Kapoor and Deepika have turned to the saree for making a mark at the fashion mecca.