There is good news and there is bad news <font face="Verdana" size="1"><b><font color="#FF0033"><u>Cannes Special!</u></font></b></font>

After the high of the first few days, when we bagged a couple of Golds and Silvers, it was bloody disappointing to discover that not a single film of ours (O&Ms) had even made it to the shortlist

Pushpinder Singh

senior creative director, O&M India

Special Commentator for agencyfaqs!

CANNES

Countrymen, there is good news and there is bad news. The good news is bhangra rocks: the whites have been dancing away to our beat. The bad news is, the work this year sucks.

Oops! I'm not supposed to say that. I just won a gold, right? But what the hell, the only thing better than gossip is the real thing. So, here it is, the uncensored version of India at Cannes. And Shatrujeet of agencyfaqs! has promised me not a word will be edited.

* India is cool. I have had people come up and offer to buy my turban at a price that would put my CTC to shame.

* Chetan Shashital's bout of ‘Bharat mata ki jai' on the steps of the Palaise has had the kind of effect normally reserved for Wassup commercials. He's even louder in his assertion that the award-winning Coke ads are his ideas. Joshi, so far, has only cringed in response.

* Tarsem conducted a 100-piece orchestra. He began the performance by taking off his Kolhapuri chappals and stepping onto the dais. Something like stepping into a gurdwara. Talk about showbiz.

* Some of the work for PlayStation 2 is absolutely fabulous. You know, the kind that makes you sigh and wish you had cracked that one.

* The beer here is too damn expensive.

* So is the whisky.

* The Mudra guys are here in force. A couple of them got drunk with me. And that I am sure of - because they even offered to pay the bill afterwards.

* After the high of the first few days, when we bagged a couple of Golds and Silvers, it was bloody disappointing to discover that not a single film of ours (O&Ms) had even made it to the shortlist. Burnett, I am told by unreliable sources, is doing well there. With three finalists, at least one of which has a good chance of picking up some metal.

* For more of the action watch this space. Meanwhile, I think I'll go and catch up with lunch. © 2003 agencyfaqs!