A history of saris on the Cannes red carpet, from Shabana Azmi to Deepika Padukone

The traditional drape has made appearances over the years at one of the world's most prestigious film festivals

The sari has made many appearances on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet over the years. From left, Shabana Azmi in 1976, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 2002, and Deepika Padukone in 2022. Photos: Getty and AFP

Jury member Deepika Padukone on the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival 2022 wearing a Sabyasachi sari. Getty

Designer Sabyasachi said Deepika Padukone's sari 'celebrates heritage Indian crafts and techniques through a modern lens'. Getty

Deepika Padukone makes her first appearance at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. EPA

At Cannes in 2010, Deepika Padukone wore a sari by Indian designer Rohit Bal. Getty

Bollywood actress Aditi Rao Hydari in an ivory Sabyasachi sari at Cannes 2022. Photo: Instagram / sabyasachiofficial

At Cannes in 2002, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan presented her film 'Devdas', which also starred Shah Rukh Khan and was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She wore a yellow sari by designer Neeta Lulla. Getty

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at a Cannes Film Festival event in 2004 dressed in a silk sari. Getty

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan attends a showing of 'Dogville' at Cannes in 2003 wearing a Neeta Lulla sari. Getty

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a Sabyasachi sari at Cannes 2010 in the company of her husband Abhishek Bachchan. Getty

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at a charity event dressed in a gold Tarun Tahiliani sari during the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Abaca Press

Sonam Kapoor in a polka dot sari by designer Masaba Gupta at Cannes 2011. Getty Images

Sonam Kapoor in an Anamika Khanna sari and jacket at Cannes Film Festival in 2013. Getty

Sonam Kapoor in an Anamika Khanna sari at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014. Reuters

Sonam Kapoor in a sewn sari by Rimzim Dadu at Cannes in 2016. Photo: Instagram / rheakapoor

Sonam Kapoor in a Masaba Gupta custom cropped trouser sari at Cannes 2017. Photo: Instagram / rheakapoor

Kangana Ranaut appears at Cannes Film Festival 2018 in a Sabyasachi hand-dyed sari. Photo: Instagram / sabyasachiofficial

Kangana Ranaut in a Falguni and Shane PeacocK corset paired with a Kanjeevaram sari by Madhurya Creations at Cannes in 2018. Photo: Instagram / kanganaranaut

Jury member Nandita Das appears in a red sari by Anuradha Vakil at the opening ceremony of the 58th Cannes Film Festival in 2005. Photo: Abaca Press

Actress and director Nandita Das graced the 70th Cannes Film Festival in 2017 in a peach silk sari while promoting her film 'Manto'. Getty

Sharmila Tagore attending the opening ceremony of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, in May 2009. Reuters

Sharmila Tagore was a jury member at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in 2009. Photo: Abaca Press

Bipasha Basu wears a Gaurav Gupta sari at the 60th Cannes Film Festival in 2007. PA

Vidya Balan asked Sabyasachi to take care of her entire wardrobe as she performed jury duty at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Photo: Nicolas Briquet

Vidya Balan wears a Sabyasachi sari paired with a Chanel bag for the 66th Cannes Film Festival in May 2013. Photo: Filmagic

Jury member Vidya Balan in a sari by designer Sabyasachi at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Reuters

Rasika Dugal in a pastel sari by Raw Mango at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. EPA

In 1976, Shabana Azmi becomes one of the first actresses to wear a sari to the Cannes Film Festival. Getty

“The sari is a story I will never stop telling. No matter where we are in the world, it has its place,” fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee said last week, after jury member Deepika Padukone turned heads with her traditional look on the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival.

Padukone wore a hand embroidered sari from the designer's Aakash Tara collection that he says “celebrates heritage Indian crafts and techniques through a modern lens”.

While Padukone received praise for her striking display of her heritage, the sari has over the years made many appearances on the red carpet at one of the world's most prestigious events.

A few days before the festival began, acclaimed Indian actress Shabana Azmi shared an interesting anecdote about the power of the sari at Cannes from 1976 — perhaps the first time the sari made an appearance at the event.

Azmi was at the festival along with her co-star, actress Smita Patil, as well as director Shyam Benegal, to promote their film Nishant, which was competing for the Palm d'Or.

“We had no publicity material and no money, so Shyam Benegal asked Smita Patil and me to wear our best saris and walk up and down the promenade to attract attention,” Azmi wrote on Instagram, posting a black-and-white photo.

“And when people turned around to stare at these strange looking exotic creatures we would persuasively plead 'Our film is showing on so-and-so date pls come to watch it', and we managed a full house! That was the advertising acumen of Shyam Benegal.”

Since then, a number of stars have made a fashion statement with the sari, from actress Sharmila Tagore's regal appearance as jury member in 2009 to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's statement-making ensembles over the years, and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja's experimental looks.

Padukone, too, has worn a sari before, a gold and ivory Rohit Bal number, when she walked the Cannes red carpet for the first time in 2010.

But Mukherjee seems to be the designer of choice for most stars, having dressed everyone from Rai Bachchan to Vidyan Balan, Kangana Ranaut and this year Padukone and Aditi Rao Hydari.

Scroll through the gallery above for times stars impressed in a sari on the Cannes red carpet.