On 20 April 2002, "Devdas" was selected to premiere at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, after the festival's director Christian June met Bhansali in November 2001. June wanted Bhansali to send the prints of the film to him in March 2002, but Bhansali did the requirement in the next month after shooting was done. Marking the first Indian film to be screened at the festival, it was chosen for the out-of-competition section and the premiere occurred on 23 May, with its stars—Shah Rukh Khan and Rai—were in the attendance; the press questioned about the absence of Dixit. Audiences criticized the film's themes, which had been filmed several times before, and "The Hindu" called it the festival's "disappointment". Bhansali, however, later said of his enjoyment about the screening, describing it as "a huge honour for Bollywood" and claimed, "To me, it seems like an opportunity for a completely new kind of audience to see our cinema." Khan and Rai went to New York City on 29 June to attend a press conference for promoting the film, this time Bhansali did not attend it.