Cannes 2023: Sara Ali Khan goes full desi for Cannes debut, Esha Gupta stuns in white

The Cannes Film Festival kicked off on Tuesday with a screening of Johnny Depp’s comeback film ‘Jeanne du Barry.’ A galaxy of stars streamed down the red carpet for the opening night of the prestigious film festival, held every year on the French Riviera. This year, for the 76th edition of the movie pageant, stars that walked the red carpet included Brie Larson, Uma Thurman, Gong Li, Elle Fanning, Naomi Campbell and a blue-haired Helen Mirren. India was also represented at the Cannes Film Festival opening night by Sara Ali Khan and Esha Gupta – both actors making their debut at the festival.

For her debut Cannes appearance, Sara Ali Khan went full desi in an Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla lehenga. Her hand-embroidered multi-panel ivory skirt was paired with a blouse dripping in crystals and pearls. A long head veil completed her look.

With minimal makeup, hair swept up in a bun and no jewellery – save for a pair of drop earrings – Sara Ali Khan let her lehenga do the talking as she attended the premiere of Jeanne du Barry.
Sara Ali Khan wasn’t the only Indian to turn heads at the Cannes Film Festival 2023 opening night – actor Esha Gupta looked sensational in a white gown with exaggerated floral detailing.

Gupta attended the film festival as part of the Indian government delegation. She chose Nicolas Jebran couture for her debut Cannes appearance – and the thigh-high slit on her gown gave us Angelina Jolie flashbacks.

The festival, which runs until May 27, includes a slew of hot-ticket premieres, including ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’, the fifth and final outing for Harrison Ford as the whip-cracking archaeologist, and Martin Scorsese's new epic, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.