Aishwarya Rai stepped onto the Cannes red carpet wearing a striking blue sculpted gown by Amit Aggarwal. She showed up after fans worried she might skip the event this year. The star greeted everyone warmly and posed with her friend Eva Longoria.
Aishwarya Rai’s long-awaited first appearance at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival has now been revealed. The festival kicked off on May 12 and many followers wondered why the Ponniyin Selvan actress seemed absent, especially after her image did not appear in certain promotions at Hotel Martinez. Yet she quickly eased those doubts by traveling from Mumbai alongside her daughter Aaradhya Bachchan.
Aishwarya Rai moved along the red carpet in a form-fitting blue dress featuring a mermaid shape created by Amit Aggarwal, who presented his work at Cannes for the first time this season. She added a shiny dupatta draped softly to complete her outfit.
According to the release from the team, Amit Aggarwal crafted Luminara, a special couture piece focused on the concept of light in motion for her big moment. The creation treats light as something full of power, flow, and impact through its shaped build and skilled making.
“Aishwarya has always approached Cannes with a strong sense of individuality and evolution. With Luminara, Mohit and I wanted to create something that felt less like a garment and more like an energy field around her. The piece explores the idea of light as strength, movement, and transformation; while honouring the extraordinary radiance she has carried through decades on the global stage,” says the designer.
To wrap up her style, Aishwarya Rai chose gentle flowing curls for her hair and went with soft pink shades on her cheeks and eyelids for the makeup. She added bright red lips along with sparkling diamond pieces decorated by bold blue gems to lift the whole outfit.
She sent flying kisses toward the crowd, said hello to photographers with a namaste, formed heart shapes with her fingers, and stood for pictures on the red carpet beside Eva Longoria, her close pal and fellow L’Oreal worldwide representative. The pair went to watch the screening of the Palme d’Or hopeful The Birthday Party, known as Histoires De La Nuit, which stars Monica Bellucci.
For many people in India, Aishwarya Rai stands as the face of the Cannes experience. Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan first came to Cannes in May 2002 to showcase their movie Devdas at the famous gathering. Wearing a bright yellow saree from Neeta Lulla, she joined her fellow actors and the director Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the carpet.
The performer’s link with L’Oreal Paris started in 2003, and from that point she has regularly appeared on the Cannes red carpet serving as the company’s international face.
When the company shared initial images to build excitement for the current festival, the lack of Aishwarya sparked strong reactions online and drew heavy criticism. The group answered the concerns by describing her as timeless and completely herself.
Beyond that opening visit, Aishwarya Rai has given fans many unforgettable carpet appearances over time. In 2007, soon after her wedding to frequent movie partner Abhishek Bachchan, she joined him there in a Giorgio Armani dress. In 2014, she picked a Cavalli design and paired it with vivid red lipstick.
Celebrating her 15 years of attending the Cannes red carpet events, she impressed viewers in a fairy-tale style dress from Michael Cinco plus a wide flowing Ralph & Russo number full of ruffles.
Speculation about possible troubles in the marriage between Aishwarya and Abhishek had gone on for quite a while, yet the pair stayed quiet in response to online chatter. Then in 2025, the Guzaarish performer addressed the talk by appearing in an off-white Manish Malhotra saree while wearing sindoor. Some supporters saw it as her way of nodding to Operation Sindoor.
After more than twenty years of regular visits to Cannes, Aishwarya Rai continues to shine as one of India’s strongest and longest-lasting stars on the world stage.
