Cannes 2023: From Anurag Kashyap's 'Kennedy' to Rahul Roy's 'Agra', Indian films to be screened at the festival

Kennedy poster

The 2023 Cannes Film Festival will begin on May 16. At this year's festival, several Indian films will be screened including director Anurag Kashyap's 'Kennedy' and actor Rahul Roy's 'Agra'.

Here's looking at some of the Indian films that will be shining at the prestigious film festival:

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'Kennedy'

Anurag Kashyap's 'Kennedy' has been selected as part of the Midnight Screenings section of the festival, which will take place from May 16-27. In April, the official Twitter handle of the Cannes Film Festival announced the selection of Anurag Kashyap's 'Kennedy' in the Midnight Screenings section of the festival. Coming from the house of Zee Studios and Good Bad Films, 'Kennedy' is essentially a police noir film, by Anurag Kashyap. The film revolves around an insomniac ex-cop, long thought to be dead, but still operating for the corrupt system, and looking for redemption. The film stars Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone in the lead roles and has been selected for a Midnight Screening at Cannes Film Festival 2023.

Sharing details about it, Kashyap had said, "It's a film and genre I always wanted to explore. It's more polar than noir, inspired by crime writing of Patrick Manchette and his comic book collaborations with Jacques Tardi, and the cinema of Melville. It's also a deeply personal crime/police drama and am so grateful to Zee Studios, Shariq and team, Neeraj, Bhumika, my producers Ranjan, Kabir and Kavan, my whole team, my partners in crime Sylver, Kazvin, Prashant who helped me shape it. Rahul Bhat who gave 8 months of his life, Sunny Leone who took on the challenge of it, Mohit Takalkar for taking it on...am just grateful at the moment."

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'Agra'

Rahul Roy-starrer Agra will have its world premiere at the Directors' Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival. Written and directed by Kanu Behl, the Hindi film is produced by Saregama India Ltd, UFO Production, and O28 Films. 'Agra' has an ensemble cast headlined by Aashiqui star Rahul Roy, who makes a comeback with this film. It also features Priyanka Bose (actor of the Oscar-nominated film Lion), debut actor Mohit Agarwal, Ruhani Sharma, and veteran actors Vibha Chibber, Sonal Jha, and Aanchal Goswami in pivotal roles. The film is an exploration of sexual dynamics within a family and the deep dystopian fractures created in modern India that are fast shrinking into pigeon-holed spaces.

'Ishanou'

Manipuri filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma's award-winning film of 1990 'Ishanou' will be screened at Cannes this year. It has been officially selected for a red-carpet world premiere on May 19, 2023 at the prestigious Cannes Classic section of the Cannes Film Festival 2023. This restored film becomes the only Indian film to be considered under the Classic Section of the Cannes Film Festival this year, a segment that celebrates restored versions of all-time classics.

Apart from films, Indian artists will also be representing the country at the festival. Anushka Sharma and Aditi Rao Hydari will be marking their debut at the Cannes this year. The actresses are not only known for their versatility and talent in showbiz, but also for their advocacy on inclusivity and representation. They will further spread the message and encourage millions of people to value and accept their individuality. Former Miss World and actress Manushi Chhillar will also make her debut on the red carpet of the prestigious festival. She made her Hindi film debut last year with 'Samrat Prithviraj'.

Bollywood stars including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Sharmila Tagore, and Deepika Padukone, among others, have served on the jury for the French festival. Other well-known people have walked the red carpet, including Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat, Pooja Hegde, Hina Khan, Tamannaah Bhatia, and Aditi Rao Hydari.

(with inputs from ANI)