With stalwarts: Emmanuel Macron meets Manoj Bajpayee, Anil Kapoor and others
French President Emmanuel Macron met Bollywood celebrities including Shabana Azmi, Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Zoya Akhtar and Richa Chadha in Mumbai during his visit to India. “With the legends of Indian cinema,” Macron captioned the photos posted.
French President Emmanuel Macron met some prominent members of the Indian film industry in Mumbai on February 17. The meeting was part of his three-day official visit to India. Guests included Bollywood actors Shabana Azmi, Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Zoya Akhtar, Richa Chadha and Grammy-winning musician Ricky Cage.
Macron’s ongoing visit underlines the importance of cultural exchange between France and India. The gathering highlighted shared interests in cinema and art.
Macron shared pictures with Indian actors
Sharing photos from the event, Macron wrote on Instagram: “With the legends of Indian cinema. Culture brings us together.”
Anil Kapoor described this meeting as ‘inspirational’
Actor Anil Kapoor reflected on the meeting and described the experience as encouraging. He wrote on
Manoj Bajpayee on storytelling as a global bridge
Actor Manoj Bajpayee also shared his experience on X. He wrote, “It was an honor to meet President Emmanuel Macron along with other dignitaries at today’s lunch. What stood out was not just the warmth of the conversation with him, but the clarity and depth of the exchange about cinema, culture, and the role of storytelling in building bridges between countries.”
“Conversations like this about how India and France can work together in cinema and culture remind you how important thought leadership and cultural dialogue are in today’s world,” the actor further recalled.
Richa Chadha remembers discussion on independent cinema
In an official statement, Richa said the meeting turned into a lively discussion on how India and France can work more closely to make independent cinema more viable. He credited France’s CNC for supporting his journey as both an actor and producer and told Masan And girls will be girls Were official Indo-French co-productions. Chadha also mentioned Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prix at Cannes for her film. We imagine everything as lightAnother film produced by banners of multiple countries including India and France.
Chadha concluded by saying that he was “impressed by how carefully he (Macron) listened to us filmmakers, and offered solutions to improve the synergy between the two countries as far as cinema distribution is concerned”.
Macron reached Mumbai on Monday night with France’s first lady Brigitte Macron. The French President’s itinerary includes meetings with Indian leaders, participation in the AI Impact Summit and interactions with personalities from the arts and cultural sectors.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Macron in Mumbai and called him his friend. In a post on Twitter, PM Modi shared that Macron expressed his fondness for the city and also enjoyed a morning run at the beginning of the day.
This is the fourth visit of the French President to India. This emphasizes the continuing strong partnership between the two countries.