Glamorous Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and legendary Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan will be among the stars attending the 66th Cannes Film Festival, which starts on 15 May.
An excited Amitabh Bachchan, whose film, The Great Gatsby, has been selected as the opening film of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, posted a delighted message on his official Facebook account: "Baz Luhrmann [the director of the film] informs me that 'The Great Gatsby' has been officially selected for the opening film for Cannes film festival on May 15th .. all very excited ! And the premier of the film in New York on May 1st as told to me ... but yet to be confirmed. So travel coming up for these occasions."
The Great Gatsby, also starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Isla Fisher and Carey Mulligan, is based on the novel of the same name, written by American Francis Scott Fitzgerald. The film will open in theatres, in the US and India on 10 May. The UK release is expected to be in the following week.
Bachchan, 70, will be accompanied to Cannes by his daughter-in-law, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The 39-year-old former Miss World is a regular attendee at the festival, in her role as a brand ambassador for L'Oreal Paris.
She has also served on the jury of the festival in 2003, becoming the first Indian actress to do so. This will mark her 12th consecutive appearance.
In addition to the Bachchans, the 2013 Cannes Film Festival will also see a large number of celebrities from the Indian film industry; this is the centenary year of Indian cinema.
Weight Watch
Meanwhile, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be aware her appearance at Cannes is likely to trigger old debates regarding her weight. The actress, who became a mother for the first time in November 2011, was subject to a public discussion over her refusal to lose weight immediately. The actress refused to bow to public pressure and opted to appear at Cannes 2012, where she successfully defended her status as a fashion icon.
Check out photographs of the actress' red carpet looks over the last decade of appearances at the Cannes Film Festival...
Actress Aishwarya Rai arrives on the red carpet ahead of the screening of the film "Cosmopolis" in competition at the 65th Cannes Film Festival May 25, 2012. REUTERS/Eric GaillardReutersBollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan arrives on the red carpet for the screening of the film "Sleeping Beauty", in competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival, May 12, 2011. Twenty films are competing in the May 11 to 22 cinema showcase, with a roll call including major screen stars, revered "auteur" directors and relative newcomersReutersActress Aishwarya Rai arrives on the red carpet for the screening of "Tournee" by director Mathieu Amalric at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival May 13, 2010. Nineteen films compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or which will be awarded on May 23.ReutersBollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (R) and actor Abhishek Bachchan pose on the red carpet as they arrive for the screening of the film "Chun feng chen zui de ye wan" (Spring Fever), at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival May 14, 2009. Twenty films compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or which will be awarded on May 24. REUTERS/Vincent KesslerReutersndian actress Aishwarya Rai arrives for the screening of the film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" by U.S. director Woody Allen at the 61st Cannes Film Festival May 17, 2008.ReutersBollywood star Abhishek Bachchan and his wife, Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai arrive for an evening gala screening of Chinese director Wong Kar Wai's in-competition film "My Blueberry Nights" at the 60th Cannes Film Festival May 16, 2007.ReutersActresses Andie McDowell (L), Kerry Washington (C) and Aishwarya Rai (R) attend the world premiere of "The Da Vinci Code" at the opening night of the 59th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 17, 2006.ReutersBollywood star Rai poses during red carpet arrivals for the out of competition screening of US director Allen's film Match Point at the 58th Cannes Film Festival. Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai poses during red carpet arrivals for the out of competition screening of U.S. director Woody Allen's film "Match Point" at the 58th Cannes Film Festival May 12, 2005.ReutersChinese actress Gong Li, Indian actress Aishwarya Rai and French model Laetitia Casta pose during red carpet arrivals on the first day of the 57th International film festival in Cannes, May 12, 2004. [Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's Out of Competition film 'Mala Educacion' (Bad Education) is screened on the opening night of the filmReutersIndian actress and jury member Aishwarya Rai poses on the beach at the 56th International Film Festival in Cannes, May 17, 2003. Rai, a former Miss World, is one of the stars that brings this French Riviera town to life during the 12-day festival for film premieres, deal-making and parties.ReutersIndian actress Aishwarya Rai salutes as she poses for photographers during a photocall for [Sanjay Leela Bhansali's] film "Devdas" in Cannes May 23, 2002. [Director Bhansali] presents his film entry which is screened out of competition in the 55th Cannes film festival which continues on the French Riviera.Reuters
