Cannes 2026: Why is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan missing from the festival? Fans question actress' absence

There's more to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan than being the brand ambassador of L'Oreal Paris. Her representation of Indian cinema at the Cannes Film Festival goes back to 2002 when she stepped on the red carpet for the first time with Shah Rukh Khan and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali during Devdas. Ever since then, she has been representing the country at the festival almost every year.

Is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan attending Cannes this year?

Reports say the actress will grace the festival this year too, along with Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar, Tara Sutaria, and many more. But as of now, fans are curious to know where she is.

Netizens react

One wrote, “@lorealparis Everyone in the comments are asking for @aishwaryaraibachchan_arb where is her poster? New faces may come but you Cant Replace the OG Aishwarya Even you know her Worth!” Another wrote, “@lorealparis Where is Aishwarya's poster?” One more comment read, “Where is Queen of Cannes @aishwaryaraibachchan_arb What happened @lorealparis did you forget the way she raised your brand in India.”

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The Cannes Film Festival 2025

The actor, who has been a regular at Cannes for the past 20 years, made an appearance at the film gala ahead of the premiere of filmmaker Oliver Hermanus’ historical drama “The History of Sound”, starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor.

What did the actress wear?

Aishwarya looked resplendent in the embroidered ivory saree with a long ‘pallu’ and a flowing lace train, which was designed by ace couturier Manish Malhotra.

She completed her look with a layered ruby necklace, also by Malhotra’s label, and vermillion in her hair parting.

“The OG Indian Queen of Cannes @aishwaryaraibachchan_arb embraces Classic White Handloom in a handwoven kadwa ivory Handloom Banarasi saree with a handwoven tissue drape and imperial heirloom of rubies from @manishmalhotrajewellery,” the designer wrote on his Instagram page.

Videos circulating on social media showed the 51-year-old actor smiling warmly and waving as she greeted fans on the red carpet.