Vidya Balan's debut at Cannes... desi without saree

(AP)

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan, who is making her debut at the Cannes Film Festival, arrived at the French Riviera.

Dressed in a maroon Sabyasachi lehenga Vidya Balan, who is the jury member at the Cannes film festival, made her first official appearance at a cocktail party at the Martinez Hotel.

 

Indian actress and member of the Feature Film Jury Vidya Balan arrives on May 14, 2013 at the Martinez Hotel in Cannes to attend a photocall of the Jury on the eve of the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. (AFP)

Actor-film-maker Nandita Das, who has earlier served on the jury in 2005, has again been invited to the film extravaganza - this time around, as a member of the Cine Foundation and short film jury.

There is a clamour these days within the Indian film fraternity to be among the crème de la crème of world cinema at the Cannes Film Festival .

(AFP)

The 2013 Cannes edition will see a host of Indian actors attending the 11-day cinema carnival as it celebrates '100 years of Indian Cinema'.

The big Bollywood attraction this year is Vidya Balan, who has been included in the nine-member jury headed by Steven Spielberg. 

(AP)

(AFP)

Other Indian personalities who have been in the jury panel at Cannes:

Filmmaker Mira Nair:  1990

Author Arundhati Roy: 2000

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai : 2003

Activist and actress Nandita Das: 2005

Actress Sharmila Tagore 2009

Vidya Balan: 2013, Nandita Das (short films): 2013