Cannes 2023: Critic's black saree wins hearts; Sara Ali Khan ditches lehenga for a black dress

After dazzling fans at the red carpet of Cannes as she made her big debut, Bollywood star Sara Ali Khan switched from her bling lehenga from Abu-Sandeep to a black and gold ensemble for the opening night party.

The actress stunned everyone at Cannes as she channeled her desi personality as she showed up looking ethereal in white lehenga with intricate shadow work. For her second look of the day, the actress switched into an all black outfit with a heart-shaped golden embellishment. The 27-year-old carried a matching black and gold bag to complete her look.

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Meanwhile, film critic and director Meenakshi Shedde, who is on the International Critics' Week Jury, stunned the audience in her stunning black saree with bold prints of orange and pink.

The jury member wore a gold necklace of nataraja to Cannes.

The first day of Cannes saw the premiere of Johnny Depp's comeback film, his first in three years. At the press conference, Depp said that he has “no further need” for Hollywood.

“Did I feel boycotted by Hollywood? You'd have to not have a pulse to feel like, 'No. None of this is happening. It's a weird joke',” Depp told reporters, as quoted by AP. "When you're asked to resign from a film you're doing because of something that is merely a function of vowels and consonants floating in the air, yes, you feel boycotted."

“I don't feel boycotted by Hollywood, because I don't think about Hollywood. I don't have much further need for Hollywood, myself,” the actor said, adding. “It's a strange, funny time where everybody would love to be able to be themselves, but they can't. They must fall in line with the person in front of them. If you want to live that life, I wish you the best.”

On the other hand, Indian Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan on Wednesday inaugurated the India Pavilion at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Speaking on the occasion, Murugan highlighted India's "timeless tradition of storytelling" that was increasingly being recognised around the world.

"You will not find too many Hollywood films these days that do not have names of Indians in the credits, especially in the VFX and animation departments," the minister said.

The minister also unveiled the poster of the upcoming 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa in November.

The opening day of Cannes Film Festival 2023 saw big celebrities come down to dazzle the red carpet. While names such as Manushi Chhillar and Esha Gupta have made their debut, fashion watchers are now waiting for Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and other biggies of Bollywood to arrive at Cannes red carpet.