Cannes Film Festival: Pooja Hegde, Akshay Kumar And AR Rahman To Walk the Red Carpet On The Opening Day

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, Indian film composer, A R Rahman, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, and actress Pooja Hegde are among the cinematic icons who will walk the red carpet as part of the Indian delegation on the opening day of the 75th Cannes Film Festival. Last week, India was named the official 'country of honour' during the Marche' Du Films, commonly known as the Cannes Film Market, which takes place on the eve of the Cannes Film Festival, which opens on May 17, according to a report by LatestLY.

According to a press statement published by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday, the red carpet event at the 75th Cannes Film Festival will be a grand event for Indian fans. Anurag Thakur, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, will lead India's delegation to Cannes. 

Renowned folk singer Mame Khan, actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Nayanthara, Tamannaah Bhatia, and Vani Tripathi, two-time Grammy winner Rickey Kej, and CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi are among the Indians attending the festival, which is described as one of the world's most prestigious film galas.

Actor R Madhavan, whose directorial debut ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ will be released in theatres on May 19, will also walk the red carpet at the event. Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone joins famous figures such as actor-filmmaker Rebecca Hall and Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi on the Cannes Film Festival competition jury of eight. 

Filmmaker Shaunak Sen's documentary "All That Breathes," India's lone cinematic presence at the main festival, will premiere in the gala's 'Special Screening' portion. The selection of India as the nation of honour coincides with the 75th anniversary of India's independence, the 75th anniversary of France-India diplomatic ties, and the 75th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival.

India will also present five films in the 'Goes to Cannes Section.' These films are part of Film Bazaar’s'Work-In-Progress (WIP) lab and include ‘Baghjan' (Assamese, Moran) by Jaicheng Zxai Dohutia, ‘Bailadila’ (Hindi, Chhattisgarhi) by Shailendra Sahu, ‘Ek Jagah Apni’ (Hindi) by Ektara Collective, ‘Follower’ (Marathi).  Padukone Will Serve on the Jury of the 75th Cannes Film Festival in 2022.

A revolutionary new restoration of master director Satyajit Ray's rare film ‘Pratidwandi’ will also be shown in an exclusive screening at the cinema gala. ‘Pratidwandi' was restored as part of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's National Film Heritage Mission.

The minister had previously said that India will be the Country of Honour at the Cannes Next', which would allow five new start-ups the opportunity to pitch to the audio-visual sector. The Cannes Film Festival will conclude on May 25.