No press release. No ‘Instagram’ post. No PR spin. Just one walk down the red carpet and the divorce gossip was put to rest. Yes, we’re talking about the OG Cannes queen herself, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Draped in a stunning ivory Banarasi saree by Manish Malhotra, a ruby necklace gleaming and a bold streak of ‘sindoor’ in her hair, Aishwarya reminded the world that she doesn’t need words to make a statement.
Netizens couldn’t get enough. Many even drew parallels to her role as Paro from ‘Devdas’, the very film that marked her Cannes’ debut back in 2002, arriving in a horse-drawn chariot alongside Shah Rukh Khan. That moment was iconic and 23 years later, she’s once again repping India on the global stage, ‘sindoor’ and all.
The ‘sindoor’ did more than just sparkle under the Cannes lights. It shut down months of speculation around her marriage to Abhishek Bachchan. The rumour mill had been running overtime in 2024, thanks to fewer joint appearances and some noticeable social media absences. But the couple’s public outings this year had already hinted that all was well and this red carpet moment sealed it.
Some are also calling it a quiet nod to ‘Operation Sindoor’, the counterstrike after the horrific Pahalgam terror attack in April. Interestingly, Aditi Rao Hydari also wore ‘sindoor’ during her second Cannes appearance.
“She doesn’t SCREAM her views. She doesn’t FIGHT for clout. She doesn’t COMPETE for limelight. But she definitely knows how to make BOLD STATEMENTS in the MOST DIGNIFIED manner. Her Sindoor says it all,” wrote a netizen.