France honours Mrs. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, 1 November 2012
France honours Mrs. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres).
Mumbai, 1 November 2012
Mr. François Richier, Ambassador of France to India, on behalf of the French authorities conferred the honour of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) on the distinguished actor Mrs Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. This prestigious distinction comes in recognition of her invaluable contribution to the world of cinema and the development of Indo-French cooperation in cinema, art, and culture.
The French government honour Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) is conferred on ‘persons who have distinguished themselves by their creativity in the field of art, culture and literature or for their contribution to the influence of arts in France and throughout the world.’ Some noted Indian recipients of this honour in the past include Shahrukh Khan, Raghu Rai, Nandita Das, late Habib Tanveer, and Upamanyu Chatterjee.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is known to world audiences for her performances in numerous Hindi and Indian language films, as well as international ones. Recipient of several Indian film awards, she was also the youngest Indian actress to receive the Padma Shri. 2002 witnessed her remarkable performance in Devdas, which was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival and the most successful Indian movie in France. She was also the first Indian actress to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival.
The honour was conferred upon Mrs Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on 1st November in Mumbai on the occasion of her birthday, in presence of her family and friends.
For photos, please visit the photogallery.