Bollywood's Cannes connection

New Delhi: Leading Indian filmmakers and actors, including Aishwarya Rai, attended the Cannes Film Festival to promote their industry even though Bollywood has no entries in this year's competition, a news report said yesterday.

The last time India competed at Cannes was in 2003 with the entry of Murali Nair's movie Arimpara, the Times of India newspaper said. Thirty-five Indian filmmakers are in France to promote movies in several Indian languages.

"Give the industry another couple of years and we will make a mark at Cannes," director Mahesh Bhatt was quoted as saying.

Another director, Shyam Benegal, said Bollywood's absence in the film competition was no reason to criticise Indian movies.

"Cannes' sensibility is particularly French and generally very European. Obviously, our kind of cinema will not fit into their perception of aesthetic cinema," Benegal said.

Bollywood refers to Hindi-language films made in Mumbai, the financial and entertainment capital of India. "If we know how to merge the Indian audiences' sensibilities with that of Europeans, only then will we make films for Cannes," said actress Seema Biswas, who won acclaim for her lead role in Bandit Queen.

Aishwarya Rai is showcasing her new movie Provoked, which is directed by Jagmohan Mundra. She plays a woman who kills her husband after suffering 10 years of torture.

Preity Zinta, another popular Indian actress, will be promoting her yet-to-be released Hindi movie Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (Never Say Goodbye), produced and directed by Karan Johar.

Actor Ajay Devgun was heading for Cannes to sell Vishal Bhardwaj's Omkara, an Indian adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello.