Not Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, this is the first Indian to step into Cannes, you will be surprised to hear the name

Cannes Film Festival 2026: Cannes Film Festival 2026 has now reached its last stage and will conclude on May 23. Held in Cannes city of France, it is considered to be the world’s most prestigious film festival, where big stars from all over the world participate every year. Now the presence of Indian stars has also become an important part of this festival. However, there was a time when the presence of an Indian celebrity in Cannes was considered very rare. When the name of Cannes comes, the first thing that comes to mind is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, but the interesting thing is that she was not the first Indian to reach there.

The first Indian took part in 1982

1982 was the year when an Indian participated in this festival for the first time. His name was Mrinal Sen. He worked as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival. Interestingly, in the same year his film “Kharij” won the Jury Prize, due to which his presence became a headline.

The film “Kharij” was based on child labour. In this, the story of a child who works as a laborer and dies under strange circumstances was told. The man who hired her feels guilty for his ill-treatment and is torn between taking revenge on his parents and the ongoing police investigation.

Who reached there?

• Mira Nair (1990): Famous filmmaker Mira Nair is given the credit for giving international recognition to the Indian film industry. She joined the Cannes Film Festival as a jury member in 1990. His film “Salaam Bombay” was very much liked. The film won the Camera d’Or (Golden Camera) award given to the best debut film and also received the Audience Award.
• Arundhati Roy (2000): Arundhati Roy, known for her special achievements like winning the Booker Prize, worked as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000.
• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (2002): Aishwarya Rai Bachchan entered the film festival in 2002, when she appeared in the film “Devdas” with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Shahrukh Khan and received a lot of praise. The next year, she became the first Indian actress to be a part of the Cannes jury. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan holds the record for appearing on the Cannes red carpet the most number of times.
• Nandita Das (2005): Nandita Das, known for making special films, reached the Cannes Film Festival in 2005. He worked in the jury and gained international recognition. She returned in 2013 to take part in the Cinefondation panel, which supports new filmmakers, and also served on the short film jury.
• Sharmila Tagore (2009): Well-known Indian film actress Sharmila Tagore was invited to join the jury in 2009. This was another memorable moment of his career.
• Shekhar Kapur (2010): Well-known Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur served as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. He is known for films like “Mr. India” and “Bandit Queen”. Shekhar Kapur was nominated for big awards like Golden Globes and BAFTAs.
• Vidya Balan (2013): Although Vidya Balan’s films were not released at the Cannes Film Festival, she participated in the festival 10 years before Deepika Padukone. He participated as a jury member in 2013.
• Deepika Padukone (2023): In 2023, Deepika Padukone created history by being selected as the first jury member from India at the Cannes Film Festival.

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