India At Cannes 2025: Screenings, Launches, And Debuts

No Indian film has been selected for competition at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival 2025. A year after bagging the Palme d’Or last year for All We Imagine As Light, the presence of India at Cannes 2025 does not quite match up. No Indian film made it to the main competition, but one student film will be competing for La Cinef section and Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound will be screened under Un Certain Regard section. Several other films and film personalities will also mark their presence at the film festival this year. The 2025 edition of Cannes Film Festival is being held from May 13 to May 24.

India At Cannes 2025: Payal Kapadia joins the main competition jury

Writer-director Payal Kapadia joined the main competition jury of the festival this year along with Halle Berry, Leila Slimani, Alba Rohrwacher, Jeremy Strong, Dieudo Hamadi, Carlos Reygadas, Hong Sangsoo. Juliette Binoche heads the jury. Kapadia won the Grand Prix last year at Cannes Film Festival for her Indian film All We Imagine As Light.

India At Cannes 2025: Homebound to be screened under Un Certain Regard

One Indian film by Neeraj Ghaywan (of Masaan fame) has been selected for Un Certain Regard section at Cannes Film Festival 2025. The film will be screened on May 21. The Royals star Ishan Khatter features in Homebound along with Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa.

Last month, Martin Scorsese onboarded Homebound as the executive producer. Ghaywan expressed his gratitude to Scorsese and thanked co-producer Melita Toscan for introducing them. In his social media post, Ghaywan said that Scorsese mentored the team “through the screenplay and multiple rounds of editing”.

Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Adar Poonawalla, Somen Mishra, Marijke DeSouza and Melita Toscan Du Plantier have co-produced the film.

India At Cannes 2025 Marché du Film: Trailers and films to be launched at Bharat Pavillion

India’s Bharat Pavilion was inaugurated at the ongoing 78th Cannes Film Festival Wednesday. Veteran actor Anupam Kher and filmmaker Shekhar Kapur attended the inaugural ceremony.

Kapur also launched the poster for the upcoming International Film Festival of India which is traditionally held towards the end of each year. He also spoke at the session titled India’s Creative Economy: In Cinema and Beyond.

Tanvi The Great: More than 20 years after he made his directorial debut with Om Jai Jagdish, Anupam Kher has donned the director’s hat for Tanvi: The Great. The film is set to have its world premiere at the Cannes film market on May 17, Saturday. Kher also features in the film along with Pallavi Joshi, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, and Iain Glen. Famous musician MM Keeravani has composed music for the film.

Charak: The trailer of Sudipto Sen’s Charak will be unveiled at Bharat Pavillion on Saturday, May 17. The film is on the Bengali ritual of Charak Puja and talks about blind faith, child sacrifice and focuses on the clash between faith and humanity. Sheiladitya Moulik has directed the film.

American Underdog: Vishy Ayyer takes his film American Underdog to Bharat Pavillion and will screen the film’s trailer on Saturday, May 17. Ayyar essays the lead role of a former fighter. The film also stars Danny Trejo, Taylor Treadwell, Veronica Falcon, Omy Vaidya and Suleka Mathew. Peruvian American filmmaker Gustavo has directed the film that Ayyar wrote. Mulberry Films and Immortal Thoughts produced it.

Ashva A White Horse’s Neigh: The trailer of Sanskrit-French film Ashva will be launched at Bharat Pavillion on May 19. Shot in Vienna, the Sundarbans and the Indian city of Kolkata, Ashva features Tamalynne Grant, Usha Banerjee, and Ranjan Giri.

The trailers of Marathi films Gajendra Ahire’s Snow Flower, Sthal – The Match, Khalid Ka Shivaji, and Juna Furniture were released Friday and those set for Saturday launch included The Love Ritual by Devendra Jadhav, Vishy Ayyar’s American Underdog, and Anupam Kher’s Tanvi The Great. The Lost and Found in Kumbh. The trailers of Lost and Found in Kumbh, Echoes of Valour, Mahamantra, Bhagodia and Charak will be released at Bharat Pavillion on Sunday, May 18.

Producers of Murder too Close- Love too Far, Ashva- A White Horse’s Neigh, Sabar Bonda and Baksho Bondi will launch their films’ trailers on Monday, May 19.

India At Cannes 2025: The Satyajit Ray connection

Aranyer Din Ratri: Sharmila Tagore and Soumitra Chatterjee’s Aranyer Din Ratri is set to be screened under the Classics section in a 4K restored version at the Cannes Film Festival 2025.

A Doll Made Up Of Clay: The film is a 2024 production by Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI). It has been written and directed by Ethiopian student Kokob Gebrehaweria Tesfay from SRFTI. It will be the only Indian film this year to be screened under the La Cinef section.

India at Cannes 2025: Star debuts

Simi Grewal: Producer-director, show host and actor Simi Grewal is set for a Cannes red carpet appearance this year. She confirmed in a social media post that she will attend the festival as part of the Satyajit Ray film Arranyer Din Ratri which has been restored by Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese & Heritage Foundation and will be screened at the festival on Monday, May 19.

Alia Bhatt: Actor Alia Bhatt (Heart of Stone) is all set to make her debut at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.

Nitanshi Goel: Laapata Ladies star Nitanshi Goel also makes her Cannes debut this year. She walked the red carpet on Friday for Lo’real Paris.

Shubhangi Dutt: Dutt is in the French Riveira for her Cannes debut with the film Tanvi The Great. She plays the lead role in the film. Earlier, she walked at Cannes Film Festival Red Carpet for the world premiere of Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning.

Karan Tackker: Tackker is likely to make his Cannes debut with the film Tanvi The Great. The actor will soon be seen in Prime Video’s thriller series Bhay.

India at Cannes 2025: Bollywood red carpet

Sharmila Tagore: Indian star Sharmila Tagore is set to attend the screening of her film Aranyer Din Ratri at the Cannes Film Festival. The restored version of the 1970 Satyajit Ray film will be screened as part of the Cannes Classics. In 2009, Tagore was part of the main jury at the festival.

Aishwarya Rai: Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai has been a regular on Cannes red carpet for more than two decades now. She attends the festival for LOréal Paris.

Jacqueline Fernandez: Sri Lankan actor Jacqueline Fernandes was an honoree for Women in Cinema with Red Sea Film Foundation at Cannes Film Festival.

In a social media post, she wrote, “Women supporting women and empowering each other in our film industry is what i truly believe in. Thank you so much for making me a part of this imperative and beautiful initiative. Merci.”

Karan Johar: Producer Karan Johar will attend Cannes Film Festival 2025 with Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound.

Aditi Rao Hydari: Hydari has walked the Cannes red carpet for three years on behalf of LOréal Paris. She is expected to make her appearance this year as well.

Shanon K: The daughter of Bollywood singer Kumar Sanu Shannon K attended the Mission: Impossible 8 premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2025. The international singer and actress will also join the cast and crew of Tanvi The Great.

India at Cannes 2025: Women In Film India

Producer Guneet Monga launched a Cannes special fellowship for female producers under Women in Film India (WIF India) – the Indian chapter of global Women in Film network. The WIF India’s Cannes Producers’ Scholarship aims at offering access to producers’ network at the Marche du Film at Cannes for mid-career women producers. Producers Dimpy Agrawal, Rabia Chopra, Tillotama Shome and Rucha Pathak joined Monga at the launch.