French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron arrived in Mumbai as part of their official diplomatic visit to India and shared a memorable cultural exchange with leading figures from the Indian film industry. During their time in the city the French President met several renowned Bollywood personalities and publicly described them as legends of Indian cinema highlighting the unifying power of culture.
President Macron shared moments from the interaction on social media posting photographs with celebrated actors and filmmakers including Anil Kapoor Manoj Bajpayee Zoya Akhtar Richa Chadha Shabana Azmi and music composer Ricky Kej. Alongside the images he wrote a message in French that translated to culture brings us together underscoring the strong cultural bridge between India and France. The meeting also included candid conversations and group photographs near iconic Mumbai landmarks such as the Gateway of India.
Several celebrities later shared their own reflections from the meet. Anil Kapoor described the interaction as inspiring noting discussions around cinema creativity and the enduring relationship between the two nations. Ricky Kej also shared behind-the-scenes moments from the visit mentioning his participation as part of the French delegation during the India France Year of Innovation.
The French delegation arrived in Mumbai in the early hours and paid tribute to the victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. After completing engagements in Mumbai President Macron and his team are scheduled to travel to New Delhi to attend the India AI Impact Summit 2026 continuing the diplomatic and cultural dialogue between the two countries.