7 Indian Films Which Won Top Prizes At Cannes Film Festival

India has a long and historic connection with the French Town of Cannes. The very first Cannes film festival took place in the year 1946 and Chetan Anand's Neecha Nagar went on to collect the top honor of the festival when it was adjudged as the best film. Over the years, a number of great films from India have premiered at Cannes and later on have gone on to become the best films of the year.

A number of Indians have also served as the jury members of Cannes film festival. It is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world and is a global event where films from different nations are screened. Indian films have managed to hold their own in this impressive festival and have often collected the top prize in different categories. Here are 7 Indian films which won the top prizes at Cannes Film Festival:

The Lunchbox: The Irrfan Khan-Nimrat Kaur starrer film was a darling at the international film circuits. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews and the universal reception helped the film to earn a lot of money both nationally and internationally. It won the Grand Rail d'Or or the Critics Week Viewers Choice Award.

Kharij: Acclaimed filmmaker Mrinal Sen's Kharji was screened at the 36th edition of Cannes Film Festival. The drama earned positive reviews from the critics and the audiences with the direction and performances receiving a special mention. It won the Jury prize at the International Critics' Week of the festival. 

Pather Panchali: Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali is often regarded as the greatest film of all time some of the most renowned filmmakers of the world like Martin Scorcese, George Lucas, Christopher Nolan etc. The film won the Best Human Document Award.

Neecha Nagar: The Chetan Anand directorial was India's official entry to the first ever Cannes Film Festival and won the Best Film Award. The film focused on the rich-poor divide and was said to be one of the best films of the year.

Salaam Bombay: The Mira Nair directorial won rave reviews at the time of its release and is now considered a classic. It focused on children living in the slums of Bombay. It won the Golden Camera Award in 1988's Festival. 

Printed Rainbow: Geetanjali Rao's Printed Rainbow won the Grand Rail Audience Award and Young Critics Award at the 61st edition of the festival in 2006. It's an animated short film. 

A Very Very Silent Film: The film focused on the social evils which affect women. It was directed by Manish Jha and won the Jury Prize in the 55th edition of the festival in 2002. 

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