As invitees, attendees and brand ambassadors sashay down the red carpet at La Croisette, there is no other fashion moment that India eagerly awaits quite as much as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s annual appearance at the Cannes Film Festival. 

This year, Aishwarya made her first appearance towards the end of the 79th edition of the film festival. She stepped out on the red carpet in an electric blue, sparkly Amit Aggarwal gown, making heads turn. She followed this up with two more appearances, in a white Cheney Chan tuxedo with a dramatic, feather boa and a delicate, blush Sophie Couture gown worn with a long, sheer cape. She also donned a pale pink strapless Fjolla Nila gown, with a feather boa for an evening at the film festival.

At the helm of Aishwarya’s wardrobe this year was stylist Mohit Rai, and this collaboration marked his styling debut on the Cannes Red carpet. “Aishwarya is extremely collaborative. Every detail is discussed with her and she is always open to discuss further, down the very T; to ensure that the final look is seamless,” he says, of working with the star.

Aishwarya has had a long, and storied history at the Cannes Film Festival. She first made her debut on the red carpet there in 2002 for her film Devdas which premiered at the festival. Since then, the actor has been a red carpet fixture at the festival for over 20 years as a L’oreal Paris brand ambassador. Her fashion moments over the years have elicited awe, like the golden, mermaid-cut Roberto Cavalli gown from 2014, or sparked fierce internet debate. Remember the controversial purple lipstick from 2016? For every sleek Gucci or Elie Saab gown, there has been the dramatic, fringe gown in silver and blue in 2024 or the silver hooded gown from 2023 which was much discussed.

While her looks this year were collectively welcomed as a breath of fresh air, amidst mounting criticism about the sheer number of influencers and attendees from India with seemingly no connection to films taking over the red carpet, the online chatter hasn’t been free of comments about her age and body that reek of misogyny and sexism. 

For many fans of the Aishwarya and fashion enthusiasts who have followed her Cannes appearances over the years, this year felt like a welcome harbinger of change. Not only did she experiment with silhouettes instead of playing it safe with overwhelming, voluminous gowns, but her hair and make-up also marked a refreshing change. Neutral and pink lipsticks replaced her signature reds and berry-toned shades, while she traded her straight, centre-parted hair for softer, more voluminous waves that perfectly complemented her looks.

Mohit describes the run up to the festival as months of mood-boarding, ideation and conceptualisation. “All of it felt extremely surreal. It only hit me when the clothes actually started coming in and we went in for our first fitting,” he says. 

Designer choices

With 3D embellishments and embroidery, Amit Aggarwal’s fitted, fishtail gown, Luminara, that Aishwarya made a splash on the red carpet in, took nearly 1,500 hours to craft, The handwork went into crystalline linear embellishments across the gown, held together through an intricate lattice structure, creating an effect of illuminated pathways across the body.  

“The commitment to colour, craftsmanship and Indian artistry on a global platform is something only Aishwarya has made time and again,” Mohit says, on Aishwarya’s decision to go with an Indian designer for her first look. Every part of the blue gown, he adds, was constructed to respond to illumination, and to look different under different lighting conditions. On the red carpet outdoors, and under camera flashes, the gown sparkled. 

“The Sophie Couture gown had this underlying femininity through the choices of fabric and silhouette, all of it bringing in so much of feminine energy in the most beautiful and soft way. Cheney on the other hand- was one whose proportions felt interesting. The cinched waist along with the shoulders felt bold in a refreshing way, but soft and subtle with the lace detailing and the feather shawl around her,” Mohit explains. 

When asked if he felt any pressure, styling Aishwarya for the first time for her much awaited annual Cannes appearance, the stylist emphasises on wanting each look to have a strong point of view, and an individuality of its own. 

“It was all about understanding that we were working with an extraordinary person at a platform that is a pinnacle of cinema and fashion. Hence there was so much more that went into the ideation and conceptualisation to ensure that the end result reflected it.” he adds.