India’s journey at Cannes Film Festival: Indian cinema shines from ‘Neecha Nagar’ to ‘All We Imagine as Light’

New Delhi:The journey of Indian cinema at the Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, has been full of many historic achievements and memorable moments. Indian films, directors and artists have made a strong mark on this international platform for decades. Sometimes the films received global appreciation, and sometimes the red carpet looks of Indian stars caught the attention of the entire world.

The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival has started once again and on this occasion, the glorious journey of Indian cinema is being remembered, which gave India a special identity on the map of world cinema.

‘Neecha Nagar’ gave first big recognition

India participated in the Cannes Film Festival for the first time in 1946. Neecha Nagar became the first Indian film to achieve major success at this prestigious festival.

At that time the film was awarded the Palme d’Or, then called the Grand Prix, the festival’s highest honor. This is considered a very proud moment in the history of Indian cinema.

Satyajit Ray’s films increased India’s pride

Satyajit Ray’s contribution was very important in giving a new identity to Indian cinema at the international level. His films have received consistent praise at the Cannes Film Festival and global audiences have appreciated the Indian storytelling style.

Films like Aranyer Din Ratri, Pratidwandi, Charulata, Pather Panchali, Ghare Baire, Devi, Parash Pathar and Uttaran were screened in Kansa.

‘Salaam Bombay!’ won international honor

In the year 1988 Salaam Bombay! Received tremendous praise at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was awarded the Camera d’Or award.

The success of this film gave Indian cinema a new identity on the global stage and its director Mira Nair gained international fame.

Indian stars shine on the red carpet

Cannes Film Festival is famous all over the world not only for films but also for fashion and glamour. Indian stars have also continuously made headlines here with their spectacular style.

Stars like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra stole the show with their looks on the red carpet.

India becomes ‘respected country’ in 2022

The year 2022 was very special for Indian cinema, when India was selected as the ‘Honored Country’ at the Cannes Film Festival.

In the same year, Deepika Padukone got the opportunity to join the jury of the festival, which was considered a major achievement for Indian cinema.

‘All We Imagine as Light’ created history

In recent years, Indian films have consistently performed well at Cannes. All We Imagine as Light created history by winning the prestigious Grand Prix award at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

The film’s director Payal Kapadia was also later selected as a jury member in 2025. This achievement proved that Indian cinema is no longer limited to Bollywood only, but its stories are deeply influencing global audiences as well.

Cannes has become a big platform for Indian cinema

Today, Cannes Film Festival has become not just an international platform for Indian cinema, but also the biggest opportunity to present Indian art, culture and stories to the world.