Sanam Saeed walked the red carpet in Cannes on Friday in custom-made Hussain Rehar and everyone loved it.
The ensemble was inspired by white peacocks, with her outfit incorporating mukesh and zardozi embroidery with mirror-work, making Saeed shimmer in camera flashes like the star she is.
According to a post from Rehar’s brand, it took 50 artisans over 2,300 hours to finish the intricate handiwork.
The jewellery also kept to the theme, with the silver and diamond set including ear cuffs inspired by a peacock’s feathers. Flowers braided into her hair completed the look.
Everyone on X agreed she looked stunning and many felt that this was a major moment for Pakistani representation.
Some users from outside Pakistan also wanted a piece of the representation pie. In fact, they felt entitled to it.
Of course, Pakistanis were not having it and the clapbacks began flying across the border.
One user asked if the people wanting to claim Saeed and Rehar today were the same ones willing to throw hands over Pakistanis saying biryani was joint cultural heritage.
Others asked why users from across the border weren’t happy with India’s own representatives at Cannes — actors Alia Bhatt, Huma Qureshi, Urvashi Rautela and billionaire heiress Isha Ambani were among the many Indian names in town at the same time.
Some people insisted Saeed was indeed South Asian and there was nothing wrong with saying that, but the use of the label had to be reciprocal to be fair.
Then a user pointed out the golden rule for what label to use — or at least the rule used by the Indian side.
Of course, nobody bothered to ask the representative whom she was representing, choosing instead to make their own story around Saeed and her appearance. She made herself clear in an Instagram post on Sunday.
The star at the centre of all the drama said she was “a South Asian woman representing Pakistan and our heritage and craft”.
She said she walked the red carpet “for the women of Pakistan, for the ones who came before us, for the ones who are yet to come and for the ones [who] are never seen behind the scenes”.
