Amitabh Bachchan is ready to make his proper international debut, thanks to his first Hollywood film, The Great Gatsby, where he has a small but pivotal role.

In May, he will walk the red carpet at the Cannes International Film Festival with daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai, a regular at Cannes.

“I have been informed by Warner Bros that The Great Gatsby has been invited as the opener at Cannes," Amitabh says. "I propose to attend the festival but I do not know how the schedule will work out for the red carpet. Aishwarya and the family have walked the red carpet on an earlier occasion too.”

At the moment , the Big B is immersed in his role of the crusader-politician in  Prakash Jha’s Satyagraha.

“We have been shooting for Satyagraha for almost two months now and by the end of April, we shall have finished the entire film, perhaps ahead of schedule," he adds. "The experience has been exhilarating for many reasons. One, of course, is the location: Bhopal is a pleasant environment, and has warm and hospitable people. Two, the joy of working with a large and committed star cast: Ajay (Devgn), Kareena (Kapoor), Arjun (Rampal), Manoj (Bajpayee) and Amrita (Rao) among the prominent cast members.”

In the picture: Aishwarya Rai attends the Cosmopolis premiere during the 65th Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 2012 in Cannes, France. Photograph: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images