For decades, India’s presence at the Cannes Film Festival has been linked with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being the official brand ambassador of L’Oreal Paris. For the unversed, she has had the role of the global brand ambassador of L’Oreal Paris since 2004. In this capacity, Aishwarya Rai has attended the festival for over 20 years. However, fans were irked and disappointed this year after the star was excluded from the festival’s promotional campaign. A few days back, Hotel Martinez – a popular celebrity-favourite address by the French Riviera – put out a promotional video of posters that featured L’Oreal Paris ambassadors Alia Bhatt, Viola Davis, Eva Longoria, and Helen Mirren, among others. Amid this, Alia Bhatt’s recent statement about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has gone viral.
What has Alia Bhatt said about Aishwarya Rai?
In a recent interaction with Vogue, Alia was asked about the Cannes look that left an impact on her over the years. She was quick to pick Aishwarya’s memorable appearance at the 2002 premiere of Devdas. She said, “A Cannes look that actually goes down in my memory as absolutely iconic would have to be Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the Devdas premiere. The beautiful saree that she wore and just her face, it was so iconic.”
What was Aishwarya Rai’s 2002 Cannes appearance about?
For the screening of Devdas at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002, Aishwarya arrived at the festival with Shah Rukh Khan and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. What really stood out from their attendance at the festival were Aishwarya’s look and Shah Rukh stepping out of a horse-drawn carriage. For the premiere, Aishwarya stunned in a bright yellow saree designed by Neeta Lulla. The saree was adorned with rich golden embroidery and a heavily detailed border. She finished the look by wearing kundan jewellery, a choker, matching earrings and bangles. She kept her makeup minimal, and styled her hair in gentle waves. The combination helped her look traditional, and elegant.
How has L’Oreal Paris reacted to criticism over Aishwarya’s absence?
Debate around Aishwarya Rai’s absence intensified when one user tagged the brand and posted, “We don’t know loreal without Aishwarya. Still can’t forget Aish saying, ‘because, Im worth it’ Need her back !!!” In response, L’Oreal Paris replied, “A living legend, and she knows exactly what to do with that.” It added, “Year after year, Cannes after Cannes, she never misses.”
