Originally posted by: iamrebelheart
Diana hayden might have been the 1st Indian to walk Cannes. It's not Aishwarya's fault if people talk about her Cannes appearances more. Cannes wasn't popular in India until Aishwarya went there. It's not Aishwarya's fault if Diana didn't have a solid fan base and popularity. How is she taking credit here?
Did you really say Cannes wasn’t popular in India until Aishwarya went there? 😂
How old are you? Is that really what her fans believe? That no one in India knew about the Cannes Film Festival until a PR-made star began going there once a year to twirl in designer gowns to stay relevant? None of her films have been worthy enough to be screened at Cannes.
Here's a little history lesson for her fans:
The Cannes Film Festival was already known in India well before independence in 1947.
It began with Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar (1946) which was nominated for the 'Grand Prix du Festival International du Film', the highest award at the inaugural Cannes Film Festival in 1946.
Chetan Anand also went on to become Cannes first jury member from India when he was selected to be a part of the international jury in 1950.
Below is a compilation of Cannes popularity in India and Indians making their country proud at the world's largest film festival long before Aishwarya Rai’s 2002 PR-planned red carpet appearance.
Indian Films That Won Awards at Cannes:
• In 1946, Chetan Anand's (Dev Anand's brother) Neecha Nagar was the first Indian film to compete at the Cannes Film Festival and the first to win the festival's highest honor, the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film (now known as the Palme d'Or) at the 1st Cannes Film Festival.
• In 1954, Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin won the Cannes International Prize.
• In 1956, Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali won the Best Human Document Award.
• In 1983, Mrinal Sen's directorial Kharij, won the Cannes Jury Prize.
• In 1989, Shaji N. Karun's film Piravi won the Caméra d'Or — Mention Spéciale award.
• In 1999, Murali Nair's film Marana Simhasanam received the Caméra d'Or.
• In 2002, Manish Jha's A Very Very Silent Film won the Jury Prize (Short Film).
First Indian Actress to visit Cannes Film Festival:
• In 1976, Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi represented their film Nishant which was up for the Palme D’Or.
First Indian Director at Cannes (Female):
• In 1988, Mira Nair's Oscar Nominated film Salaam Bombay! became the first Indian film to win the Caméra d'Or ("Golden Camera") and Prix du Public awards at the Cannes Film Festival.
• In 1991, Deepa Mehta's Sam & Me won the Caméra d'Or — Mention Spéciale award.
First Indian Male to be selected as Jury Member in Cannes Film Festival:
• In 1950, Chetan Anand became the first jury member from India to be selected to be a part of the international jury at Cannes Film Festival.
• In 1982, Mrinal Sen was the second Indian man to be selected for the international jury at Cannes Film Festival.
First Indian Female to be selected as Jury Member in Cannes Film Festival:
• In 1990, Mira Nair became the first Indian woman to be a part of the international jury at Cannes Film Festival.
• In 1997, Arundhati Roy became the second Indian woman to be selected for the international jury at Cannes Film Festival.
First Indian Child Artist at Cannes:
• In 1955, Baby Naaz won the Special Mention Child Artist award for her work in Raj Kapoor's Boot Polish.
First Indian Director at Cannes (Male):
• In 1952, V. Shantaram won the Vulcan Award - Technical Grand Prize for Direction.
• In 1957, Rajbans Khanna Special Mention (Short Film) - Director award for his movie Gotoma the Buddha.
First Indian Actor to visit Cannes Film Festival:
• Om Puri is the first Indian actor whose three films were screened at Cannes: Genesis (1986), Sam & Me (1991), and My Son the Fanatic (1996).
First Indian Brand Ambassador at Cannes Film Festival:
• Diana Hayden, Miss World 1997 for L'Oreal
Sad to see India's remarkable history at Cannes being sidelined due to online wars between fans of talentless actresses who have turned the movie festival into a red carpet competition zone.






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