Denzel Washington, Spike Lee and India's Presence at Cannes 2025

 

Denzel Washington | Vidya Balan | Jhanvi Kapoor.
Credit: A24 | IDHYAH | Vaishnav Praveen

Let's talk about Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest starring Denzel Washington, and India's and Bollywood's not-so-quiet invasion at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

Highest 2 Lowest was a part of the out-of-competititon selection at Cannes this year but it being helmed by the legendary Spike Lee - and being quintessential Lee - he made sure everything about the movie from the red carpet opening of the film to its cast - Jeffrey Wright, A$AP Rocky, Ilfenesh Hadera and the man of the moment, Washington - made a splash and shone bright. 

For Washington, he received a big, and happy surprise (something that I absolutely love) - probably one of the biggest surprises of Cannes 2025: an honorary Palme d'or in recognition of his iconic career as one of the greatest performers in contemporary cinema. At the suggestion of Lee to festival chief, Thierry Frémaux, the award announcement was made ahead of Highest 2 Lowest's world premiere. 

L to R: Denzel Washington, Spike Lee and A$AP Rocky at 'Highest 2 Lowest' red carpet at Cannes.©️Cannes

"It’s a very special day,” Frémaux said. “Denzel, because you are here, we want to make something special for you. It’s a kind of way for us to tell you our adoration, what you have done in cinema. Nobody knows about that except Spike Lee, who wrote me to do that.”

Lee, who presented the Honorary Palme d'or to Washington, put his arm around the actor and said, “This is my brother right here. I love him, I love him. I’m glad you’re here where all the people love you too.”

Reuniting with Washington for the 5th time, Lee's Highest 2 Lowest is a  reinterpretation of Arika Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller High and Low. Washington plays David King aka “King David,” a hugely successful music mogul whose son (Aubrey Joseph) and godson (Elijah Wright) — the son of his best friend and driver (Jeffrey Wright) — are mistaken for each other by an inept kidnapper.

Another big splash was made by the presence of India and Bollywood at Cannes. Right out the gate, India was represented by last year's Grand Prix winner, Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine As Light) who was a part of the formidable jury line-up. 

'Homebound' premiere photo call Cannes 2025. 
Credit: Vaishnav Praveen

The only prominent Indian film in one of the feature categories - Un Certain Regard - was Homebound, co-produced by Bollywood's big gun, Karan Johar and directed by Neeraj Ghaywan. While the film did not take home an award, the film did receive a 9-minute standing ovation, setting a new precedence for more such narratives to come out of India. India's neighbor had better success with Ali, a smaller and less publicized film by Bangladeshi filmmaker, Adnan Al Rajeev, winning the Special Mention award in the Short Film category.

Homebound stars, Ishaan Khattar and Jhanvi Kapoor, though, made big red carpet fashion statements at the film's premiere and other major event moments throughout the festival.

Not to be left behind, Cannes saw other big names from Bollywood scorch the red carpet premieres such as Aishwarya Rai (with L'Oreal), Alia Bhatt (her Cannes debut), Jacqueline Fernandez, Aditi Rao Hydari, Urvashi Rautela, Nitanshi Goel, Mouni Roy, Natasha Poonawala, designers Manish Malhotra and Gaurav Gupta. 

Aishwarya Rai at Cannes 2025. Courtesy: Getty Images

Cannes also saw veteran actors Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal attend Satyajit Ray's retrospective classic, Aranyer Din Ratri, part of Un Certain Regard, and Anupam Kher - who was representing his directorial feature Tanvi The Great that screened at the Marché du Film, Cannes.

Women in Film India at Cannes 2025. Courtesy WIFIndia Instagram

Off the Cannes red carpet glitter, Oscar winner Guneet Monga Kapoor launched Women in Film India, backed by Women in Film Los Angeles. Founder Monga Kapoor hit the right notes with the launch, and with able support of rising women producers in tow, including actress Tilotama Shome, Rucha Pathak and Dimpy Agarwal.

Vidya Balan. Courtesy IDHYAH 

Though perhaps there was one Bollywood star who, without even attending Cannes in-person - in her own unique style - made a big impact not only at Cannes but in India as well. Selected as one of Deadline's 2025 Disruptors for redefining female roles in contemporary Indian cinema, and continuing to do so with 2024's second highest grosser, Bhool Bhulaaiya 3 - I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing Vidya Balan for Deadline's Cannes magazine special edition. And being the true disruptor that she is, Balan's statements in the article were immediately grabbed by top Indian media outlets such as The Times of India, NDTV, News 18, and Hindustan Times - proving that what she says matters in the current entertainment landscape in India, and that she is a trendsetter in the truest sense of the word.