MUMBAI: In an exquisite celebration of cinematic excellence, director Ashutosh Gowariker received the prestigious ‘Medal of St. Tropez’ at the Nirvana Indian Culture and Cinema festival on 1st June 2024 at the seaside town of St Tropez, France.

The acclaimed filmmaker, known for crafting cinematic masterpieces such as ‘Lagaan’ (2001), ‘Swades’ (2004), and ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ (2008), expressed his heartfelt gratitude for this esteemed recognition and conveyed his appreciation, saying, “I want to thank Ms. Sylvie Siri, Mayor of Saint-Tropez, for this honor, and I look forward to contributing towards strengthening the bond between the cultural and cinema industries of France and India.”

The second edition of the Nirvana festival, took place in the enchanting city of Saint-Tropez, besides honoring Gowariker also honored His Excellency Jawed Ashraf, the Indian Ambassador to France and Monaco and Lord Rami Ranger with the Medal of Saint Tropez.

Ambassador Ashraf said, "We are delighted to be in Saint Tropez and happy to support the NIRVANA festival which aims to tie France and India by threads of history, celebrated with 3 Cs - culture, cinema & cuisine. A special thanks to Mayor Sylvie Siri!"

Lord Ranger said, “l am honored to accept the Medal of Saint Tropez during the Indian Cultural and Film Festival, Nirvana. St Tropez has a very special relationship with the Kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh because one of his Generals Jean-François Allard was born in Saint Tropez.  It is a matter of great pride for the people of Saint Tropez, one of their illustrious sons helped the Sikh Kingdom stop the relentless invasions into India via Kyber Pass and saved the ancient Indian civilization as we enjoy today.”

Nirvana also featured the screening of Indian filmmakers Leena Yadav’s ‘Parched’ and Jude Anthany Joseph’s ‘2018 - Everyone is a Hero’ as part of the official selection. Gowariker’s Swades’ was also showcased at NIRVANA among cinema enthusiasts in the picturesque setting of Saint-Tropez.

Many cultural events featuring Indian food, fashion, music, dance and Yoga took place along with the screening of movies.