Touted as the most glamorous extravaganza on the showbiz calendar, the Cannes Film Festival got underway on Wednesday as the stars descended on the French Riviera. The festival opened with the European premier of Steven Spielberg and Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Great Gatsby.’ At the opening ceremony, Leonardo Di Caprio with ‘The Great Gatsby’ co-star Amitabh Bachchan officially declared open the 66th edition of the film festival.

Bachchan makes his Hollywood debut in what he described as a ‘blink and miss role’ in ‘The Great Gatsby.’ The actor used the opportunity to speak in Hindi. “On stage with Leonardo to officially declare Cannes Festival open, and tribute to 100 yrs of cinema in India – a time in history…Acknowledging Cannes in recognising 100 yrs of Indian Cinema, it was absolutely imperative for me to address, in my mother tongue,” the actor tweeted.

‘The Great Gatsby’ releases in India today (Friday). Over the next 10 days, dozens of the most artistically acclaimed films will premiere on the global stage. The festival continues through May 26.