Bollywood star Jacqueline Fernandez, after ditching the opening ceremony’s red carpet walk, arrived at the French Riviera on day 3 to represent Indian cinema and shared pictures showing her excitement to be honoured and recognised as one of the honourees at the ‘Women in Cinema’ initiative. The 2025 Cannes Film Festival will likely see a star-studded lineup from the Indian film industry this year, including event regulars like Aishwarya Rai and debutants Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter and more. A few others like Urvashi Rautela and Payal Kapadia, already graced the red carpet on Day 1 of the 78th annual film festival. Lapataa Ladies fame Nitanshi Goel also made her debut walk in traditional clothes, paying homage to legendary Indian actors.
Also read: The Bharat Pavilion gets inaugurated at Cannes 2025, Anupam Kher and Shekhar Gupta attend ceremony
Jacqueline Fernandez at Cannes 2025
The Kick star arrived at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival decked up in silver tones with a white shirt, matching bottom and bedazzled metallic silver chains that extended till the waist, properly adhering to this year’s dress code with ‘no nudity and no volume,’ looking elegant in a sleek hairstyle pushed back in a bun. Matching earrings sealed the look with black pumps and minimal makeup, giving a touch of elegance. She was among the top 6 honourees from around the world recognised under the Red Sea Film Festival’s new initiative alongside Sarah Taibah, Elham Ali, Amina Khalil, Engfa Waraha, Gaya Jiji, and Rungano Nyoni. Jacqueline took to her Instagram to share the pictures with fans and captioned her day as, “Cannes Day 1 with @redseafilm. Delighted to be an honouree at the Women in Cinema initiative that champions female storytellers. #redseaiff #womenincinema #redseafilmfoundation”.
Nitanshi Goel makes her Cannes red carpet debut
Among the newcomers at the Cannes Film Festival was award-winning film Lapataa Ladies’ Nitanshi Goel, who opted for two looks. For the red carpet walk, she chose a black strapless structured gown with gold-toned intricate patterns, a slightly voluminous tulle, and a small lacy train. For the second look, she went for a traditional lehenga saree with pearls embellished on the top. Her hair, tied back in plaits, paid tribute to legendary stars Rekha, Madhubala, Meena Kumari, and Nargis, with framed portraits.
Also read: ‘Naked’ dresses and long trains? No Cannes do, except if you’re a star
Nitanshi Goel at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 🖤✨#Nitanshi #NitanshiGoel pic.twitter.com/ewK3572QDr
— WV – Media (@wvmediaa) May 15, 2025
#Cannes2025 | @nitanshi_goel of #LapataLadies fame at the #CannesFilmFestival, representing India & giving tribute to the golden era of Hindi cinema@jaya_delhi @ficci_india @nfdcindia @FICCIFRAMES #BharatAtCannes #CannesFilmFestival2025 #Cannes pic.twitter.com/QGtMhJwfAY
— DD News (@DDNewslive) May 15, 2025
Whether it’s Indian films or stars, all have been making rounds straight from NYC to France, and fans are waiting for the grand entrance of Aishwarya Rai, who is one of the most recognised faces of Cannes, having graced the event for years. This year, Alia Bhatt was scheduled to walk as well, however, her absence from the opening ceremony has left fans disappointed and even concerned about whether it’s happening anymore. Other stars like veteran Sharmila Tagore will also grace the event. On the other hand, stars like Anupam Kher and Shekhar Kapur were present as the Bharat Pavilion was launched at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.
