Report: Indian filmmakers to promote regional cinema at Cannes film festival

Thirty-five Indian filmmakers have joined hands to sell movies in various Indian languages at the Cannes film festival later this month, a news report said Tuesday.

Until now, the main thrust has been to promote Hindi language movies made in Bombay, India's financial and entertainment capital, at the prestigious festival.

The Indian pavilion at the festival will for the first time try to sell movies made in southern languages, including Rajnikanth's blockbuster "Chandramukhi," Mani Ratnam's "Lajo" and Ravi Verma's "Sunflower," the Hindustan Times daily reported.

The effort will also be to sell India as a shooting and post-production destination. Location provider Kas Moviemakers of New Delhi would be represented at the festival, it said.

"Cannes is the place to show that we're more than just SRK (Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan)," the daily quoted Hindi film producer-director Sunil Darshan as saying.

Popular Bollywood actress Preity Zinta will be promoting her yet-to-be released Hindi movie "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna" (Never Say Goodbye), produced and directed by Karan Johar, at the festival.

Though not an official entry at the festival, the movie is expected to be shown to select distributors and critics for promotion ahead of its release in India and abroad.

Bollywood actor Ajay Devgun is also heading for Cannes to help sell Vishal Bhardwaj's "Omkara," an Indian adaptation of Shakespeare's "Othello," the daily said.

The movie also features Saif Ali Khan in the lead and actresses Kareena Kapoor and Bipasha Basu.