Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who was scheduled to make the first of two appearances at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival Friday, will not be able to walk the red carpet due to an air traffic controllers' strike in France.

Aishwarya represents global cosmetics brand L'Oréal Paris at the annual gala.

"Aishwarya's flight from London to Nice was delayed and hence she hasn't been able to reach Cannes as planned. With the latest development, the L'Oréal Paris team is making arrangements for Aishwarya to walk the red carpet on an alternate day," said a statement.

Now Aishwarya will make an appearance May 21 and the L'Oréal Paris team will soon confirm the date about her second stint.

"While the delay has been unfortunate, we are making sure that Aishwarya attends the event on an alternate date and we are sure she will dazzle as always," said Manashi Guha, general manager, L'Oréal Paris India.

Aishwarya has been attending the Festival de Cannes on behalf of the brand for 13 years now.

Earlier, she was spotted at the Mumbai airport with her daughter Aaradhya while leaving for the gala.

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was set for a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha, the party's supporters in filmdom like Asha Bhosle and Madhur Bhandarkar wished Narendra Modi and looked forward to seeing him take oath as the country's new prime minister.

The celebs took to Twitter to share their views. Here’s what they wrote:

Shah Rukh Khan: What a solid mandate given by the ppl. It proves again that the only constant is change. Now to move forward with strong & active faith, India.

Asha Bhosle: Congratulations to the BJP and sincere best wishes to Narendra Modi our next Prime Minister. Jai Hind.

Hema Malini: Modi wave is for real! BJP getting huge majority! Leading all over India!

Madhur Bhandarkar: The wave has hit the shore! A young, sensible and vibrant India gives its verdict! Heartiest congratulations to Narendra Modi and his team.

Preity Zinta: Heart is beating crazy as I watch election results on TV. Every Indian has spoken and I am happy to see that this will be a stable and solid government.

Pritish Nandy: Now even the allies will not matter. It's BJP all the way. They are about to get a clear mandate.

Anupam Kher: As I cross Red Fort, I can't help thinking of a new hope and new energy India will experience today onwards. Jai Hind.

Chitrangda Singh: So today we stand Modi-fied! Now, lets have it coming. Nation awaits.

Hansal Mehta: Honestly, the decimation of Congress was inevitable and is welcome. The verdict is against the inept Congress and not for the communal BJP.

Soha Ali Khan: Looking forward to the end of months of mud-slinging and sloganeering - time for actions to speak louder than words.

Vivek Oberoi: A new era dawns! People have voted unanimously for Narendra Modi's vision of a new India - united, progressive, inclusive, global and fearless!

Amrita Puri: Congress India ain't your living room anymore. Move over!

Abhishek Kapoor: Politics of entitlement comes to an end.. Bharat mata ki jai

Punit Malhotra: The country has made its choice. A clear choice! A wipe out like this just shows how frustrated the nation was with the Congress!

Sophie Choudry: The people have spoken. India wants change and believe Narendra Modi is it! Time for actions to speak louder than words!

Vishal Dadlani: So, Modi is clearly the voice of the Indian people. One hopes for good governance, that serves the country. Good luck to him, BJP and us.

Ranvir Shorey: Congratulations Narendra Modi, on a well deserved win. Looking forward to the "achche din".

One of the most talented actors Jimmy Sheirgill, who tried his hand at producing films in the Punjabi language, says the experience wasn't fruitful.

Jimmy produced Punjabi films like "Dharti" and "Rangeelay".

"I had a very bad experience producing films," Jimmy said adding that he strove for his level of perfection in his projects and this resulted in a financial debacle.

"Just to take films to my own level, I have paid from my own pocket. I took steps which were rash. If the makers told me this is required for the film, I used to say go ahead with it, but the money never came back," added the actor.

He has learnt his lesson the hard way.

"Your personal work should be different from production work and it should survive on its own. So, that is something I failed in. I messed up as a producer," he said.

He may not have succeeded as a producer, but he knows his craft as an actor. Be it "Maachis" or "Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster", Jimmy is known for giving his best in front of the camera and proving his mettle.

Meanwhile his "Fugly" is set to hit the screens June 13, and the actor, who took a break from work, said: "I am enjoying my phase as an actor. I was missing action for one-and-a-half years. I had a spine problem. I missed out on quite a lot, so I am hoping to cover it now. This is the best phase to be in the industry."

Actors Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler's forthcoming romantic comedy "Blended" will hit the Indian screens May 30.

Directed by Frank Coraci, Sandler and Barrymore will be seen together for the third time in a film as parents, who find themselves stuck together and are combating the growing attraction, said a statement.

The duo were earlier seen together in "Wedding Singer" (1998) and "Fifty First Dates" (2004).

Filmmaker and Janata Dal-United candidate Prakash Jha lost from the West Champaran Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar. He was defeated from the constituency for the third time.

Jha lost to sitting BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal.

He unsuccessfully contested as an Independent in 2004 and on a Lok Janshakti Party ticket in 2009 from the same constituency.

Jha is known for his socio-political films like "Gangaajal", "Rajneeti" and "Satyagraha".

The Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC), which has so far been very liberal about display of cleavage, has suddenly decided to clamp down heavily on such scenes.

The first casualty of the censor board's new-found regard for a woman's modesty is new actress Rupali Krishnarao, who plays a prostitute in Asshu Trikha's "Koyelaanchal". Her cleavage has been blurred by the censors at several places in the film where the board members found the display of flesh too ample.

Considering how much cleavages are part of Bollywood culture, Trikha can't stop grinning over the sheer hypocrisy of this sudden flash of modesty.

"The cleavage was blurred as per the censor board's instruction. I argued with them saying cleavage is an integral part of Bollywood culture. Besides, my heroine plays a prostitute. In 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' 36 years ago, Zeenat Aman had displayed a lot more than mere cleavage in a temple sequence."

Besides, Trikha pointed out his film is not for children.

"My film is for adults only. And adult audiences are mature enough to handle some cleavage. But I saw no point in arguing beyond a point. I just blurred the blouse."

But he has no complaints against the censor board. "They have become cautiously advanced as opposed to defensively regressive."

Meanwhile, a sequence in Ananth Mahadevan's 'The Xpose' showing a starlet in a transparent white sari has been trimmed by the censorboard.

Ironically, the same pose by Zeenat in Raj Kapoor's "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" 36 years ago was allowed to go without any cuts.

Indian actor-stand up comedian Kavi Shastri, who was born and raised in London, says be it the west or India, people tend to get typecast on the basis of their origin.

Kavi, who will soon be seen as the host of Bindass' forthcoming show "Love By Chance", has done radio shows, theatre and small roles in British TV shows like "Holby City" and "The Bill". But he somehow felt the need to work in India.

"I moved here about seven years ago. The decision was very impulsive. I made up my mind and within a week, I was in India. In London, I was getting stereotyped. Not because of my acting ability... (but because of) colour of my skin possibly or nature of my origin," Kavi, whose parents hail from Gujarat, told IANS.

He was first on the big screen in “Love Aaj Kal”. The actor could’ve made his Bollywood debut 10 years back, but the film that co-starred Naseeruddin Shah and Kirron Kher somehow didn’t see the light of day.

“I had the opportunity to do a film starring Naseeruddin Shah, Kirron Kher and others. But the film never got released. During that time, I saw the passion and madness India has for films,” said the actor.

After switching to Hindi cinema, he found that even actors from different parts of India are typecast.

“Getting typecast? It’s only expected. You go to any country in the world even India. People from different states...everyone gets stereotyped whether you are from Delhi, Assam or Gujarat,” said Kavi, who has also acted in TV show “Rishta.com”.

But the co-founder of Weirdass Comedy is not disappointed and he feels “lucky” to be able to showcase his talent here.

As of now he is happy and nervous about "Love By Chance", which will showcase a falling in love story every week between two individuals who stumble into love just by chance.

"I've been watching a lot of TV shows about love these days. Fiction or non-fiction...everything kind of emphasises on darker side of love. 'Love By Chance' is refreshing. We are looking at positive side of love," said the artist, who will also be seen in forthcoming film "Amit Sahni Ki List" with Vir Das.

Hollywood Actress Jenna Dewan Tatum will be seen in a creation designed by Indian designer Khushali Kumar in TV series “The Witches of East End”.

Jenna Dewan, wife of Hollywood actor Channing Tatum, will be seen in a stunning gunmetal and lace negligee dress from Kumar's label Reve for the cover and poster shoot for the series.

“The dress was chosen to keep the allure and sexiness in her character intact. I am glad to have dressed such a beautiful and powerful character for the show,” the designer said in a statement.

The show will premiere July 6.

It seems Khushali has got a firm foothold in Hollywood as she has just finished styling for Justin Beiber's new video “Wait For a Minute”.

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, who was among those from Bollywood who signed 'An Appeal to Voters' urging them "vote for the secular party", Friday said he is "disappointed" with the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the general election.

However, he hopes the new government brings only "good news" for the nation.

"What do I say? I am disappointed," Mehta told IANS when asked about his view on BJP's landslide victory.

"I hope the new government brings only good news to our nation and no bad news. So many people have voted for him (Modi), so we hope he wins their trust and faith," added the "Shahid" fame director.

Mehta, along with names like Imtiaz Ali, Vishal Bhardwaj, Zoya Akhtar, Nandita Das, Shubha Mudgal, Swara Bhaskar and Mahesh Bhatt, made an appeal mid-April to "dear fellow-Indians", asking them to take cognisance of the importance of protecting the "country's secular foundation".

Here's the full text of the appeal:

"The best thing about our country is its cultural diversity, its pluralism - the co-existence of a number of religions and ethnicities over centuries, and hence the blooming of multiple streams of intellectual and artistic thought. And, this has been possible only because Indian society has prided itself on being essentially secular in character, rejecting communal hatred, embracing tolerance.

Today, that very sense of India is vulnerable. The need of the hour is to protect our country's secular foundation. Undoubtedly, corruption and governance are important issues, but we will have to vigilantly work out ways of holding our government accountable to that. However, one thing is clear: India's secular character is not negotiable! Not now, not ever.

As Indian citizens who love our motherland, we appeal to you to vote for the secular party, which is most likely to win in your constituency.

Jai Hind!"

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan isn't one to mind makeovers for films. After sporting a beard for the past few days, he is now clean shaven for the "Happy New Year" (HNY) shoot.

"So pretty the set we are working on especially as the sun sets. Beard gone...thanks Farah (Khan) and your awesome team for HNY," the King Khan posted on Twitter Thursday.

The actor was recently in Dubai to launch a special edition of Forbes Middle East, featuring himself on the cover. At the event, he flaunted his bearded look with aplomb, but with his latest update on Twitter, he gave his followers and fans a peek-a-boo into his clean shaven avatar.

"Happy New Year" is Farah's next project, and it also stars Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani and Deepika Padukone among others.

Actor Kavi Shastri, born and brought up in London, may be content with his work in Hindi films and TV shows, but rues he hasn't got an opportunity to show his dancing skill and that he wouldn't mind doing an item song.

He has featured in cameos in films like “Love Aaj Kal” and “Aurangzeb”, acted in popular TV show “Rishta.com”, but featuring in a dance number is still a dream for him.

“Dancing is one thing that I haven’t been able to achieve since coming to India. My dream is to do one item song at least,” he told IANS.

In the meantime, the “Love Aaj Kal” actor will soon be seen as the host of forthcoming TV show “Love By Chance”.

Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta Friday confirmed that actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will essay the female lead in his new movie "Jazbaa".

"Yes guys it's true. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will play the dynamic female lead in my action/thriller 'Jazbaa'," Gupta posted on Twitter, putting to rest rumours about her presence in the film.

Aishwarya's official spokesperson confirmed the news.

Known for directing entertainers like "Kaante" and "Shootout at Lokhandwala", Gupta is perhaps collaborating with Aishwarya for the first time.

The former beauty queen and actress is currently attending to her commitment as a brand ambassador for global cosmetics brand L'Oréal Paris at Cannes.

She was due to make an appearance at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival gala Friday, but she was unable to reach in time due to an air traffic controllers' strike in France. She will now make an appearance May 21, apart from one on another day.

On the big screen, Aishwarya was last seen in "Guzaarish" in 2010.

Rensil D'Silva, who himself directed the Indian version of internationally popular show "24", says makers of movies and TV shows must focus on bringing more indigenous content to viewers rather than adapting from foreign entertainers.

"I think we've some fine writing talent in our country. We should be developing indigenous stuff. I think people in the film and television industry like to follow a road map. They're happy if they know where exactly they're going with a project," said the "Kurbaan" director.

However, he believes "there is a lot of excitement on television".

"I think Ashutosh Gowariker is making a serial on the Everest," he added.

"24" has completely changed the way we look at Indian television. What do you think?

"Now its second season is on the way. Anil Kapoor has to first finish his film 'Welcome Back'. Before we started working on '24', a lot of marketing guys told us that it wouldn't work for Indian TV.

"But once we went on air, we realised those very people who enjoyed the 'saas-bahu' serials were enjoying '24'. That was quite heartening.

"I feel there's an audience for all kinds of tele-viewing experiences. A lot of people told us they had given up watching television until '24' came along," he said.

Are you getting offers to write more on television?

"As a matter of fact, I am. But I've just finished a film, and a novel and one season of '24'. I want to see how much time the second season of '24' would take before I commit myself to something else on television. '24' is something very close to my heart," he said.

His next big screen project is "Ungli".

It is thumbs up for India's to be prime minister Narendra Modi at the ongoing 67th Cannes Film Festival at the South of France.

A large chunk of Indian contingent are bullish on a Modi-led BJP government that will have a comfortable mandate in the 16th Lok Sabha.

"On behalf of the entire Indian film fraternity, we congratulate Narendra Modi on the massive victory. We are confident that the Indian film industry will get a new lease of life under the leadership of Narendra Modi,” said Ravi Kottarakara, President of Film Federation of India, which has a footprint across India.

Modi has been buzz at Cannes and the talking point at the boat party hosted by CII on Thursday late night under the chairman ship of Ashok Amritraj for the initiative at Cannes.

Kulmmet Makkar, CEO, Film & TV Producers Guild of India, said: “The change is always important and the new government with a clear mandate is great for the Indian film sector. We have positive hopes from the BJP-lead government.”

As many as 20 celebrities are here to participate in the film fest and there were naysayers on Modi's victory too.

But filmmaker Sudhir Mishra said, "We have to respect the verdict of the people.”

“The change is always good. I am an independent filmmaker and continue to make independent films," he added sharing his views on Modi's victory.

The “Chameli” director also said that he has no qualms in stating that: "I am not a 'biriyani secularist'.”

Talking about Indians filmmakers' impact at Cannes Mishra praised Anurag Kashyyap and said he has done more to India at Cannes individually than the Indian government.

Frank Stehling, MD, PrimeHouse GmbH, who works closely with Indian filmmakers on co-production and re-make rights of films, said his business partners have a great deal of confidence in Modi.

"All I can say is that my business partners are optimistic of the change in government in India and it will be business friendly and benefit the industry," he said.

Meanwhile, foreign filmmakers are hopeful that permission for shooting locations and process of engagement with India will be less bureaucratic and transparent in the new BJP led government.

India has been pitching for single window clearance for film shooting in overseas but a clear policy is not in place yet.

The industry leaders stressed upon having a National Film Commission.

"We should have a National Film Commission and the entire spectrum of filmed entertainment should be serviced from the commission. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting should have no direct role to play in markets like Cannes," said a film producer not willing to disclose his identity.

The Gujarat film tourism stand at the Cannes Film Market - Palais - attracted visitors Friday in the aftermath of Lok Sabha poll results in India.

Gujarat Tourism is participating at the market under Confederation of Indian Industry for the third year.

Industry leaders were reflecting that Modi has been mentioning promoting Indian film locations in his campaigns and are optimistic that his words will turn into vision in the coming months.
"We hope that policy decisions will be speeded up with clear mandate to the BJP government,” says Sushil Kumar Agrawal.

"For three years we have been waiting for film archival policy from the government. We have high hopes that it will happen now."

India is ranked fifth in the international global box office collections at $1.5 billion. China is on top with $3.2 billion, followed by Japan on second slot with $2.4 billion, UK third with $1.7 billion, while France holds fifth position with $1.6 billion.

"The new BJP government that's gave industry status to the Indian film sector can help India move up the ladder. We sell more tickets but our currency keeps us down,” said a film producer.

The poll battle is over and many film celebrities like Hema Malini, Moon Moon Sen and Kirron Kher have emerged victorious to become members of parliament.

"Dream Girl" Hema Malini, contesting on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket from Uttar Pradesh's
Mathura, won eaily, while actress Kirron Kher, also BJP, emerged victorious from Chandigarh, defeating not only former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal of the Congress as well as actress-turned-politician Gul Panag of the Aam Aadmi Party.

The male BJP star politicians also made it.

Vinod Khanna retained Punjab's Gurdaspur while Shatrughan Sinha was re-elected from Patna Sahib and Paresh Rawal tasted victory on his maiden electoral foray, winning from Gujarat's Ahmedabad East.

Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari, also a BJP candidate, won from Delhi North East constituency while Bollywood singer Babul Supriyo won from West Bengal's Asanol but music director Bappi Lahiri, contesting for the same party, was not as lucky in Sreerampore where he ended up third.

Some celeb politicians contesting as candidates of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress in West Bengal also made to parliament.

Moon Moon Sen was elected from Bankura, matinee idiol Dev aka Deepak Adhikari from Ghatal, Satabdi Roy from Birbhum constituency, Sandhya Roy from Midnapore and Tapas Pal from Krishnanagar.

Popular Malayalam actor Innocent, an independent candidate supported by the Left, contested from Chalakudy in Kerala and won.

Another unlucky celebrity was southern star Ramya, who lost in Karnataka's Mandya to the Janata Dal-Secular candidate, despite being the sitting MP having won the seat in a by-election last year.

The younger brother proved a hero and his more popular elder brother turned a zero in the simultaneous polls to Andhra Pradesh assembly and Lok Sabha.

If 2009 elections saw actor-turned-politician K. Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) proving a big flop, this time the Congress party under his leadership failed to win even a single assembly or Lok Sabha seat in Seemandhra or the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.

Chiranjeevi, a central minister was heading the party's campaign in Seemandhra but the public wrath over the state's bifurcation decimated the party. The charisma of the former superstar was not enough to rescue it.

Though both of them did not contest the elections, they were the centre of attraction. One leading the Congress and the other vowing to finish it off.

In 2009, Chiranjeevi's younger actor brother Pawan Kalyan had campaigned with him. The young actor, however, fell out with his brother after he merged PRP with the Congress in 2011.

Popular as 'power star' among his fans 42-year-old Pawan floated a new political party Jana Sena on the eve of the elections and gave the slogan 'Congress hatao desh bachao' (Remove Congress save the country).

"Nobody can eliminate the Congress party." It was how 58-year-old 'mega star' had countered Pawan. The brothers, however, avoided directly criticizing each other.

Pawan's party did not contest the elections to avoid division of the anti-Congress votes. He flew to Ahmedabad to meet Narendra Modi and declared his support to the BJP's prime ministerial candidate.

The actor shared dais with Modi and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu at the NDA's election rallies both in Telangana and Seemandhra.

Pawan campaigned for BJP-TDP alliance in both the states. The trio succeeded in their mission to wipe out the Congress party but failed to stop the TRS from coming to power in Telangana. Pawan was bitterly criticizing TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao's family for using the Telangana movement to make money and for targeting Seemandhra people living in Hyderabad.

While it will take a long time for both the Congress and Chiranjeevi to recover from the shocking defeat, Pawan now wants to build his party. "We will take up people's issues at all levels," said the actor while advising both Naidu and TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao to fulfill their poll promises.

Sasho Satiiysh Sarathy, whose performance as Manjunath Shanmugam has been widely appreciated for being realistic, says essaying the slain Indian Oil excecutive on the big screen drama "Manjunath", has been a life-changing experience for him.

"Manjunath", directed by Sandeep Varma, is a biopic on IIM graduate Manjunath Shanmugham, who took on the fuel mafia in 2005, raised his voice against corruption and who was murdered.

In an interview, actor Sasho has spoken out about how he tackled the role for the film, his experiences, and his future plans in the field of acting.

Excerpts:

Q. That doesn't look like a performance at all?

A. Thank you for saying that. It is my debut performance and the fact that I played a man so inspiring has left me deeply influenced.

Q. You had no experience in acting?

A. I had done an acting course and I perform at corporate events. But I had to unlearn all that I knew about acting and start from scratch to understand the mind and heart of Manjunath. My director Sandeep Varma guided me into the character. He saw me at a corporate show. He had done my auditions so many times. He told me to fly down to Mumbai from Chennai where I live. Only then was I finalized.

Q. What was the main requirement from you ?

A. To come to the role with a clean slate. I had to surrender completely to my director and to my character. The credit for my performance goes entirely to my director.

Q. Manjunath's idealism and his determination to live his life with honesty seems to have touched people's hearts?

A. This is the impact we wanted. And we're so glad that people have responded to the character and the film like a wake-up call for conscience. After seeing the film, my mother and friends were in tears. When they told me they were moved, I felt it was a job well done.

Q. Manjunath is shown to share a very special bonding with his parents. How about you?

A. Unfortunately, my father passed away during the making of this film. He couldn't live to see my film. I so badly wanted to show him my film. He was instrumental in my change of career. He persuaded me to do my MBA and then when I showed a keen interest in pursuing an acting career, he allowed me to go ahead with my other career option. It took me a while to find the right acting vehicle. Now that I've found it he isn't here to see me in my chosen vocation.

Q. Seema Biswas, who plays your mother, seems so in character?

A. Yes, my real mother completely empathized with me. Seemaji and Yashpal Sharma sir were my two pillars of strength on the sets. They never made me feel like a newcomer. They guided me all the way.

Q. How did you approach Manjunath's role?

A. When we started shooting, we didn't have any reference points for Manjunath. We only had his family and friends to give us an indication of what Manjunath was like. We did three months of rehearsals to create the character's reality. Director Sandeep Varma made me abandon all my flamboyant ideas of acting. Seemaji and Yashpal Sir helped me a lot in getting the rhythm right. Sandeep sir (my director) instructed me to hold my own before these acting giants. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous sharing the screen with such stalwarts .

Q. Do you now intend to pursue an acting career?

A. I speak eight languages, including my native tongue Telugu, Tamil and Hindi and English. I want to act in all the languages. Acting is my calling.

Q. What kind of roles do you see yourself doing in future?

A. The roles will have to choose me, and not vice versa. As an actor, I'd like to do as many kinds of roles as possible. But Manjunath will stay with me forever. I got into the character not knowing what he was all about. Once I got into Manjunath's skin I couldn't leave him behind. It has been an emotionally traumatic but ultimately very satisfying experience. I'm a changed human being. I can't even see the road littered without cringing. Manjunath Shanguman has changed my life forever.

Q. For the girls who have fallen in love with your idealism... are you single?

A. No, I am married. My wife flies with the cabin crew in Air India. She was more nervous about the release of Manjunath than me.

Veteran actress Neetu Singh is thrilled that her nephew Armaan Jain's debut film is named "Lekar Hum Deewana Dil", which is a line from her popular song from the film "Yaadon Ki Baarat".

Neetu featured in the R.D. Burman song in the 1973 film wearing a red dress. It went on to become a chartbuster in those times, and hence, it holds a special place in her heart.

"This song holds a very special place in my heart," Neetu, wife of Rishi Kapoor, said in a statement.

"When I learnt that Armaan's film was titled 'Lekar Hum Deewana Dil' I was super excited, I also shared my feelings with Armaan's mother on the title of the film," added the actress.

Besides the new film's title, what Neetu is more excited about is the fact that her nephew will be debuting with this movie and hence feels she has a personal and professional connect with it.

"Lekar Hum Deewana Dil" is a story about youths and how they grow up while making mistakes.

Co-produced by Eros International and Illuminati Films, the film is directed by Arif Ali and is scheduled to release July 4.

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who missed the first of her two scheduled appearances at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival due to an air traffic controllers' strike in France, will now take to the red carpet at the gala May 20.

The actress' official spokesperson posted on Twitter Saturday: "Today Aishwarya will be shooting an ad and doing media interactions. On the red carpet on (May) 20, 21 and AMFAR on (May) 22."

Aishwarya represents global cosmetics brand L'Oréal Paris at the annual gala, and she was slated to walk the red carpet Friday. However, her flight from London to Nice was delayed, and the L'Oréal Paris team made quick arrangements for her appearance on an alternate day.

"We are sure she will dazzle as always," Manashi Guha, general manager, L'Oréal Paris India, had earlier said of the former beauty queen's appearance.

Aishwarya has been attending the Festival de Cannes on behalf of the brand for 13 years now. This year, Cannes is also playing host to amfAR’s Cinema Against AIDS fundraiser, which Aishwarya will be part of.

Meanwhile, back home, filmmaker Sanjay Gupta has announced that Aishwarya will be making her comeback with his film "Jazbaa".

Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sand sculpture of legendary film maker-writer Satyajit Ray on a beach in Cannes during the 11-day International Cannes Film Festival, which began Thursday.

Pattnaik, with the help of his student Bulu Mohanty, created the six-foot sculpture on beach Zamenhof, Canto Port, Cannes. It was inaugurated by India's Ambassador in France, Pattnaik told IANS over phone from France.

"Movie maker Ramesh Sippy and actor Kamal Haasan were among many other eminent personalities present on the occasion," he said.

Pattnaik said he used five tonnes of sand to create a long movie reel on the face of the legendary writer. He also created a six feet tall Taj Mahal with 'Incredible India' message.

"This event is supported by India Tourism Paris and Air India. I am very happy to come to Cannes for this festival. So, I decide to give my tribute to my legendary writer," he said.

Pattnaik, a native of Odisha's Puri town, has been conferred this year with the Padma Shri award, the fourth highest civilian award in India.

He has participated in more than 50 international sand sculpture championships and festivals across the world and has won many prizes.