Kareena Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan look all set for a face-off at the Cannes red carpet this year, to be held from May 16 to 27. While Kareena would be making her debut at the prestigious film festival, Ash is likely to return as the brand ambassador of the international cosmetics brand she has been representing at Cannes regularly for several years now.

The interesting bit about the two Bollywood stars participating at the fest is the connection they bear owing to Madhur Bhandarkar's upcoming film, Heroine. Ash was initially cast as the protagonist in Madhur's film. In fact, the filmmaker and the actress launched Heroine amid much pomp with a photo shoot at Cannes last year. Ash even shot for a few days before it was announced she was pregnant. The actress had to let go of the project amid a lot of controversy and Kareena subsequently stepped in.

"It's an interesting coincidence that Madhur launched Heroine with Aishwarya last year at Cannes and he could be promoting the same film with Kareena at the same film festival this year," an insider in the film's unit said. Madhur is scheduled to wrap up his film in early May, just in time for a special screening at Cannes. The film, though, is slated for a commercial release only in September.

If Madhur can finish his film on time, this will be Kareena's first outing at the French Riviera. For Aishwarya, her return to Cannes this year would mark her first major public appearance since her delivery last November. Ash recently attended her first do in Dubai for a promotional event.

"It is too early to confirm the possible dates when Kareena and Aishwarya might be walking the red carpet at Cannes, but one thing is for sure. They won't be attending the festival on the same day. Traditionally, the appearance of Bollywood stars are phased out to avoid a direct clash," the source said.

It is unlikely, though, that Madhur's Heroine will be in competition at the festival. "Most Bollywood films that are screened at Cannes for promotional purpose and Madhur could go for a special screening to seek buyers in the European market," the source added.

While most Bollywood stars such as Aishwarya, Saif Ali Khan, Minissha Lamba and Sonam Kapoor have walked the Cannes red carpet as brand ambassadors of various products, the cast of Vikramaditya Motwane's Udaan and the Bengali film Chhatrak were the only ones to grace the festival as film personalities.

This year, Bipasha Basu will also walk the Cannes red carpet to promote her Hollywood debut, Roland Joffe's Singularity. Karisma Kapoor could also attend Cannes to promote her film, Dangerous Ishq. Arjun Rampal will also be present to endorse a liquor brand.