India dominates Cannes red carpet

Cannes is a film festival, but it is also a giant image machine. That is why India’s presence this year matters beyond celebrity spotting. On the eve of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, which runs May 12 to May 23, the Indian lineup looks broader than the usual Bollywood-heavy red-carpet cycle — with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Alia Bhatt returning, and regional-cinema names arriving with them. ### Why is this more than a fashion story? Because Cannes does two jobs at once. It sells movies to the world, and it turns the red carpet into a global ranking system for who gets seen. When Indian stars dominate that visual space, the benefit is not just for designers or beauty brands — it helps Indian film industries signal scale, confidence, and international ambition. ### Who are the biggest Indian names this year? Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is still the anchor name — her Cannes appearances have become a ritual at this point. (festival-cannes.com) Alia Bhatt is returning as a L’Oréal Paris global ambassador, and Aditi Rao Hydari is part of that same beauty-brand lane. Karan Johar is also widely expected, which adds industry weight beyond actor appearances. ### So what actually feels different? The spread. This is not just Mumbai star power. Multiple reports around the festival guest list point to representatives from Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, and Malayalam cinema, with first-time attendees from those industries getting real visibility. Kalyani Priyadarshan is one of the names drawing attention in that broader mix. (moneycontrol.com) ### Why does regional representation matter so much? Because “Indian cinema” is usually flattened into “Bollywood” outside India, and that has never been true. The country’s film business is a cluster of huge language industries with different stars, audiences, and aesthetics. When Cannes attendees include Punjabi or Malayalam talent alongside Hindi-film celebrities, India gets to present itself as a film ecosystem, not a single brand. (firstpost.com) ### Is this tied to the official Cannes lineup too? Only partly. The official festival selection is its own lane, and Cannes announced that lineup back on April 9. India’s visibility this week is coming from a mix of things — official festival participation, market activity around films, jury roles, and the red carpet itself. In other words, not every important Indian presence has to come from a Competition slot to matter. (openthemagazine.com) ### Why does the red carpet carry so much weight? Because Cannes is one of the few places where fashion, film financing, celebrity branding, and national soft power all collide in public. A red-carpet appearance can look superficial, but it often works like a trailer for bigger things — distribution deals, international press, crossover casting, and a clearer identity for the country’s film exports. That is especially useful for stars and filmmakers trying to move from domestic fame to global recognition. (festival-cannes.com) ### Is India “dominating” Cannes, then? On the red carpet and in visibility terms, that is a fair read going into opening day. But the catch is that visibility is not the same as prizes. Cannes still separates glamour from the competition slate. India’s win here is attention — lots of it — and attention at Cannes can be the first step before awards, sales, or longer-term international momentum follow. (festival-cannes.com) ### Bottom line? India is using Cannes the smart way this year. The stars bring cameras. The regional names bring range. Put together, they make a bigger argument — that Indian cinema wants to be seen not as one industry visiting Europe, but as a many-headed film power arriving on its own terms. (firstpost.com) (festival-cannes.com)