Esha Gupta Says Her Plunging Gown at Cannes Was 'Sexy But A Risk,' REVEALS 'My Stomach Was Upset' | Exclusive

Actor Esha Gupta recently added a new feather to her hat as she marked her debut at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. She walked the red carpet in a specially curated designation led by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Dr L Murugan. She represented India and its culture at the Indian pavilion along with Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga, actor and former Miss World Manushi Chhillar and Manipuri actor Kangabam Tomba.

On her first day at the red carpet of the film gala, Esha, known for her avant-garde sense of fashion, made heads turn in a high-slit white gown white an elaborate floral design on the front, which received a thumbs-up from fashion connoisseurs across the board. In an exclusive chat with News18, the 37-year-old says, “The response [to my outfit] has been really amazing. I didn’t expect that. I didn’t expect to be one of the best dressed and I had people calling me from all over the world – including my manager from LA and my stylist – and telling me that I look the best and that my look was so elegant.”

Esha, however, agrees that it was an ensemble that was risky to carry but credits her stylist for helping her make a statement. “It was a risk. When we were doing this Nicholas Jebran gown, we knew that it was sexy but it was also a conscious thought to make it look angelic. If you see the gown, it is white and has 3D flowers and its flowy [silhouette] make it dreamy. I’ve to give credit to my stylist, Victor Blanco,” she tells us.

Esha looks back at the time when Victor gave her a glimpse of the dress for the first time and reveals that she wanted to look at more outfit options, and elaborates, “He was the one who saw it about two weeks before Cannes and he told me, ‘Esha, this is the gown I see on you.’ And when I saw it in the video he sent me, I told him that it was nice but that we should look at something more because we, as Indians, are pretty used to being a little over the top and dramatic and have extra fabrics and trails and the whole jingbang. We love the loudness, we don’t like simplicity. That’s in our blood. I also like being over the top.”

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But they say that all’s well that ends well. So, her final moment on the red carpet in the white ensemble was all kinds of special and Esha will hold it close to her heart forever. “There was a certain vision he had about the make-up, the hair and the styling. He even told me how to pose. It’s not like I don’t know how to do it but he envisioned me a certain way. Kudos to the amazing team I had – Charlotte Tilbury for my make-up and Dessange Paris for my hair! The whole team came together and they made sure that this is the best look I ever had. To be honest, I think this is the best I’ve looked till now on any red carpet,” gushes the Jannat 2 (2012) and Rustom (2016) actor.

While she thoroughly enjoyed her time on the red carpet, she shares that she was rather stressed out before that. Speaking about it, she recounts, “It was surreal. I was so nervous even though I had my team and Victor, who’s my person, with me. My stomach was upset. I wasn’t just representing ‘Esha Gupta’ but since I went with the official delegation, I was representing Indian cinema. I was stressed out and hoping that nothing goes wrong on the red carpet.”

But the one episode that really struck a chord with her was when she heard the international paparazzi chanting her name. “When I stepped on to the red carpet, they started clicking me, and the photographers and paparazzi didn’t let me leave. They knew my name and that was the most amazing thing that happened to me. When I started walking ahead, they all called my name and called me back to for more pictures,” she says.

Esha, who has also been grabbing headlines for her other chic sartorial choices on the red carpet and off-duty Cannes looks, further adds, “I would want to thank the I&B Ministry, NFDC and FICCI that I got the opportunity to represent Indian cinema on an international platform. To be able to take India and myself as part of India outside is the biggest opportunity I could get. It’s something I really dreamed of and I feel very happy to have received the opportunity.”