Aishwarya Rai's sindoor choice at Cannes is talk of town. Was it a tribute of sorts?

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's arrival at the Cannes Film Festival is one of the most-anticipated moments for Indians globally. This year, the actor decided to walk the Cannes red carpet in traditional attire, wearing a classic ivory handloom saree with golden embellishment, which she paired with a matching full sleeves blouse, and a drape style dupatta.

While her look did garner attention, netizens and Indian media highlighted the sindoor on her head, which, according to many, was a powerful tribute to the Indian Army's mission 'Operation Sindoor', launched as a response to the Pahalgam terror attacks. Aishwarya kept her hair open, with a thick layer of sindoor in the parting. 

Others also were quick to point out that the sindoor on Aishwarya Rai's forehead was also an indicator to prove that her bond with Abhishek Bachchan was as strong as ever, as opposed to rumours back home. Aish matched the saree with a red chocker, accompanying it with a stunning ruby neckpiece and matching earrings. We could also see a complimentary ring in her hand as she waved at the cameras on the red carpet. She was seen wearing a dark lipstick with a red tint, along with some light blush, eyeshadow, and a thick eyeliner.

Designer Manish Malhotra shared some pictures of Aish from Cannes on his Instagram handle and wrote, "The OG Indian Queen of Cannes Aishwarya Rai embraces Classic White Handloom in a handwoven kadwa ivory Handloom Banarasi saree with a handwoven tissue drape and imperial heirloom of rubies from Manish Malhotra Jewellery." 

The 'Dhoom 2' actress has managed to set trends with her Cannes appearances over the years. Aishwarya made her 22nd appearance at the film festival as the global ambassador for L'Oreal Paris. She made her Cannes debut in 2002 when Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Devdas', co-starring Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit premiered at the festival. While Aishwarya has received a lot of praise for some of her looks at the event, in the last few years, she has also been subjected to a lot of criticism for her choice of attire.