Aishwarya Rai Bachchan may have been absent for much of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, but when she arrived, she truly made an impression.
A regular at the French cinema event, the Bollywood actress waited for the final few days of the film festival to make her appearances. She attended both the Histoires De La Nuit (The Birthday Party) film screening and Lights On Women's Worth gala on Friday, followed by the festival's closing and awards ceremony on Saturday.
For the film screening, she wore a blue sequinned gown by Indian designer Amit Aggarwal.
Writing on Instagram, Aggarwal said that the look was created in collaboration with Rai Bachchan's stylist Mohit Rai and took more than 1,500 hours to craft.
Described as an "exploration of radiance in motion", Rai explained that "thousands of crystalline embellishments converge within sculptural lattice-like structures to create an interplay of luminosity, depth, and fluidity".
He added: "Bringing together cinematic presence, sculptural couture and material innovation, the appearance honours Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s enduring relationship with the Cannes red carpet through a vision of contemporary Indian couture on the global stage."
For her look on Friday evening, the actress opted for an embellished soft-pink gown by Sophie Couture, a Baku-based label founded by Azerbaijani fashion designer Gunel Babayeva. For the L'Oreal-sponsored Lights On Women's Worth gala, the actress was joined on the red carpet by her daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan, 14, who wore a red caped gown.
Rai described the actress as "serving divine feminine energy" in the floral look.
Other attendees at the event included Eva Longoria wearing Carolina Herrera, Gillian Anderson wearing Alexis Mabille and Sofia Carson wearing Francesco Scognamiglio.
On Saturday, Rai Bachchan made her final Cannes appearance of the year. Attending the closing and awards ceremony, she made a statement in an all-white look by Chinese designer Cheney Chan. The look featured a lace-detail pant suit, with a dramatic oversized feather boa.
"For the Cannes red carpet, Cheney Chan reimagines formal tailoring through a dialogue between structure and instinct. Sharp suiting elements are softened through movement and texture, creating a silhouette suspended between reality and fantasy," the designer wrote on Instagram. Adding that the look aimed to "frame the body through dramatic feathered forms and fluid lines" and "balance masculine tailoring with poetic softness".
Rai Bachchan is frequent attendee at the Cannes Film Festival. She made her first appearance during the premiere of Devdas in 2002, and was notably the first Bollywood actress to be a jury member at the festival in 2003, the year she became a global brand ambassador for L'Oreal.
Being the face of the beauty brand has led to a host of red carpet appearances over the years. And along with her movie premieres, including 2016's Sarbjit, and her work with other luxury brands such as Longines, she's been turning heads with her striking, if sometimes divisive, looks at the festival.
She frequently wears Lebanese designers at the event, especially Rami Kadi and Elie Saab.
She's also a fan of Filipino designer from Dubai, Michael Cinco, who has designed two of her most memorable looks at Cannes, including one butterfly-inspired blue gown in 2018.
Last year, she was seen in looks by Indian designers Manish Malhotra and Gaurav Gupta.
