Amitabh Bachchan made his first appearance at Cannes Tuesday to promote Eros International's new film, Cheeni Kum at the 60th Annual Film Festival.

The 65-year-old iconic star who has acted in over 160 films in a career spanning 36 years said, "I feel great to be here. The buzz being generated by our cinema is palpable."

In the romantic comedy Cheeni Kum, Amitabh acts as an acerbic 64-year-old chef of London's top Indian restaurant, who falls in love with a simple 34-year-old unmarried woman (Tabu) whose father is younger than him.

The credited cast for the film includes Paresh Rawal, Zohra Sehgal and Annie Vanders.

Amitabh attended the premier of the film Tuesday evening and received a standing ovation. The film struck a chord with an audience made up of mixed nationalities.

Amitabh was pleasantly surprised that immigration and security officials at the airport in the France recognized him and talked about his films, an indication, he said, that Bollywood is making inroads in the country.

"Cannes is internationally famous for marketing films all over the world. It is wonderful to find Indian cinema here as well," said Bachchan.