French President Emmanuel Macron calls Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Zoya Akhtar, Richa Chadha ‘legends’ of Indian cinema

French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday. They met several Bollywood celebrities while there.

French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron are on a diplomatic visit to India. They landed in Mumbai on Tuesday and held a special interaction with Bollywood celebrities while there. The President even posted pictures with celebrities like Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Zoya Akhtar and others, calling them ‘legends of Indian cinema’.

French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron with Manoj Bajpayee, Anil Kapoor, Zoya Akhtar and others.

French President with ‘legends of Indian cinema’

President Macron posted numerous pictures on his Instagram from his meeting with Bollywood celebrities, writing, “Aux côtés de légendes du cinéma indien. La culture nous rassemble,” which translates to “Alongside legends of Indian cinema. Culture unites us.” The first picture shows President Macron and Lady Bridgitte posing with Manoj, Anil, Zoya, Richa Chadha, Shabana Azmi, Ricky Kej, and others. Some pictures also show Anil and Richa interacting with the President and dignitaries, while another group picture shows them all posing at the Gateway of India.

Anil Kapoor, Ricky Kej post more pictures

Anil also posted pictures of the meet on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, writing, “Spent an inspiring afternoon with President Emmanuel Macron and his gracious better half, Brigitte exchanging thoughts on cinema, culture, and the powerful bridge between India and France. Here’s to India x France. And to many more stories waiting to be told.” The pictures show him shaking hands with President Macron and having a chat with his wife, Brigitte.

Ricky also posted pictures he had clicked with the President and the First Lady even before the interaction with the celebrities, writing, “Such an honor to spend time with my friends, the President of France @emmanuelmacron and Madame Brigitte Macron. I travelled with them on their presidential plane to participate in various meetings and the inauguration of the India-France year of Innovation, as a part of the French Delegation. More to come :-) Great developments for both great nations. Super exciting times. Swipe for more photos.”

Explaining his glasses, he added, “PS: I wore the glasses as a tribute to President Macron, for the glasses he wore at the World Economic Forum, Davos, recently :-) Google it if you do not know what i am talking about :-)”

French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron arrived in Mumbai in the early hours of Tuesday for their scheduled visit, which runs until February 19. Following the Mumbai engagements, the delegation will travel to Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit 2026. They also paid a solemn tribute to the victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks upon their arrival.