Never before in history have Cannes and its sidebars found space for eight Indian, or India-themed, films.

RRR threw a lifeline, or so it seemed -- to a world that was down in the dumps. Keeravani and his Naatu Naatu just happened to be in the right place at the right time, notes Saibal Chatterjee.

The next 12 months will see many world cinema heavyweights unveiling exciting new films.

This is an alternate list of 10 screen roles that saw Soumitra Chatterjee, a paragon of gentility, venture beyond his comfort zone and deliver masterclasses of subtlety and depth, lists Saibal Chatterjee.

'Sushant Singh Rajput, a bright young lad who had a life beyond films, was probably too good for Bollywood.' 'To blame his death by suicide on a gang of Bollywood bullies is stretching the point too far,' argues Saibal Chatterjee.

'In an era defined by vengeful anger, he was a star who sang and danced while most others hollered and hectored on the big screen,' remembers Saibal Chatterjee.

Isn't It Romantic is about a New York woman hit on the head during a mugging. The impact leaves her feeling that she is in a rom-com.

'It isn't an art house film. It is essentially a feel-good story.'

'To this day, not a year passes when Bollywood does not head to Kolkata to train its cameras on the magnificence of the bridge and the flow of life that pulses along the river across which it spans,' says Saibal Chatterjee.

Bollywood's fortunes might not hinge on Pakistani actors and singers, but the forced ban on them sends out a disturbing message.