Day 3 at Cannes: Aishwarya Rai stuns; 'Megalopolis,' 'Bird' premiere
The third day of the 77th Cannes Film Festival (May 16, 2024) was a star-studded event with numerous Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities in attendance. Among the notable attendees was actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. She graced the red carpet during the screening of Megalopolis, donning a customized black and gold butterfly gown by Falguni Shane Peacock. The day was also special because it marked the premiere of Barry Keoghan's Bird.
Andrea Arnold's 'Bird' received a standing ovation
Andrea Arnold's Bird, starring Irish actor Keoghan, was met with a seven-minute standing ovation at its Cannes debut. Despite some cast members being underage for the screening, their performances deeply resonated with the audience. Arnold, known for her works like American Honey and Cow, wrote and directed this acclaimed film. Franz Rogowski, Jasmine Jobson, and James Nelson-Joyce star in the project.
A lot of love was showered on 'Bird'
'Megalopolis' also received a standing ovation, but harsh reviews
Francis Ford Coppola's labor of love Megalopolis also received a seven-minute-long standing ovation but has generated shockingly divisive reviews. Variety wrote in its review, "Megalopolis is positively awe-inspiring in some places and an absolute eyesore in others, until you pull back and try to take it all in." Film journalist Luke Hearfield wrote on X, "I left it feeling totally discombobulated and bewildered by it. How does a 120M movie look this cheap?"
Rajpal Yadav debuted at Cannes
Another highlight of the third day was comedy veteran Rajpal Yadav's debut at Cannes, who's there for the screening of his recent film Kaam Chalu Hai. He shared sneak peeks from the event on his Instagram handle and also expressed his excitement to Bollywood Bubble. "I am extremely grateful to IMPAA (Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association) for liking the film and recommending it be screened at the prestigious film festival," said Yadav.
Indian ambassador invited global filmmakers to India
In addition to the aforementioned events, the Indian Ambassador to France, Jawed Ashraf, expressed his delight over Jammu and Kashmir being showcased as India's rich shooting locations at Cannes. During the inauguration of the CII- Bharat Pavilion, he extended an invitation to global filmmakers to explore business opportunities in India. "I hope that there will be lots of business opportunities explored by the global filmmakers with India's participation," he said.
