India Chosen As ‘Country Of Honour’ At Cannes; See Top Highlights Of India’s Presence At French Riviera

The 75th edition of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival is all set to commence. This year will be special for India as India will be the official ‘Country of Honour’ at the forthcoming Marche' Du Film, which will take place alongside the 75th Cannes Film Festival in France. The illustrious film festival will take place from May 17 to May 28.

A highlight of India's participation at this edition of #Cannes Film Festival is the World Premiere of the movie "Rocketry", produced by R Madhvan. To express his joy, Madhwan took to Instagram and wrote “ROCKETRY WORLD PREMIER AT CANNES. May 19 th 9 pm. Did not imagine this when we began this journey. The only objective was to tell the story of Shri Nambi Narayanan. .. that desire has brought us a long way with all your blessings and the grace of God . Pls pray for us.”

Indian films and celebrities have made their impact on this renowned world stage over the years. Let’s take a look at all the glorious times Indian films and celebrities showed up at this famous film festival and made us proud.

Neecha Nagar

The film ‘Neecha Nagar’ happened to be India's first official entry in the Cannes Film Festival. 'Neecha Nagar' (1946), directed by Chetan Anand, was the first and the only Indian film to win the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film (now known as Palme d'Or) at Cannes in 1946.

The film's plot is simple and serves as an allegory for British colonial subjugation. Sarkar, an eloquent industrialist who lives in a beautiful mansion, wants to build a housing project on low-lying swampland. Sarkar plans to drain the swamps and transfer its water into the low-lying 'Neecha Nagar,' where the impoverished live, in order to achieve his objectives.

Do Bigha Zamin

Bimal Roy, the National Award-winning director, was honoured in Cannes 1954 with the Prix Internationale for the film ‘Do Bigha Zamin’. The Balraj Sahni-starrer tells the story of a farmer who is unable to repay the zamindar due to the Bengal famine.

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Devdas

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan debuted in 2002 with Shekhar Kapur for a special screening of her film 'Devdas. She is also the first Indian actress to become a part of the jury of the Cannes International Film Festival. The film Devdas earned a resounding response the first time Aishwarya Rai Bachchan presented it at Cannes in 2002.

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Indian Celebrities At Cannes Red Carpet

Followed by Aishwarya Rai, a host of A-line Bollywood actresses made it to the- Cannes Film Festival including Sonam Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone, Kangana Ranaut, Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra, Hina Khan and many others.

Sonam Kapoor has been a frequent attendee at the famous gala on several occasions. Sonam Kapoor seems to have an obvious reputation as a fashionista for years. The actress has proven that her fashion game is always on point, from airports to red carpets. Every year, the Cannes red carpet has been a spectacular stage for her to show off her greatest couture choices and set trends.

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