Aishwarya, Sonam, Freida to walk Cannes red carpet

Indian actresses Aishwarya Rai, Sonam Kapoor and Freida Pinto will walk the red carpet at the forthcoming Cannes International Film Festival on different occasions. They will sport looks inspired by Bollywood's different eras.

The trio will walk as brand ambassadors of beauty brand L'Oreal Paris, which completes 16 years as the official make-up artist for the Cannes film fest. With the gala celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema this year, L'Oreal Paris will commemorate the occasion with L'Or Sunset, a new make-up line.

"As the festival celebrates Indian cinema this year, L'Oreal Paris will bring alive iconic make-up trends inspired by Bollywood that will be sported by both our Indian and international brand ambassadors," Manashi Guha, marketing manager, L'Oreal Paris, said in a statement.

Aishwarya will be making her 12th consecutive appearance this year. She will also be the guest of honour at a special evening celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema at Cannes May 19, besides walking the red carpet May 20. She feels proud.

"It is great to see the Indian film industry being celebrated and honoured on the occasion of its 100th anniversary at an internationally respected platform like the Cannes film festival. This truly signifies the impact made by India on world cinema," said Aishwarya.

This year marks Sonam's third visit to Cannes. She will be present at the opening ceremony of Festival de Cannes May 15, and she will walk the red carpet May 16 as well. She is "absolutely delighted" as "this is the first time I will be part of the opening ceremony".

"Cannes is celebrating Indian Cinema this year and I have never been more proud to be a part of this creative industry. I hope that the Bollywood inspired make-up looks we don this year at Cannes will make global style statements," she said.

Freida, who is popular in international circuits, too will be seen at the opening ceremony. She said: "I am very glad to see that India is getting a lot of recognition at global platforms such as Cannes. Indian cinema has come a long way and is making a tremendous impact internationally and the new and young crop of indie and alternative filmmakers are definitely game changers to watch out for."