‘Not a single camera flash’: Netizens react to Alia Bhatt’s Cannes appearance

Alia Bhatt’s Cannes Film Festival debut may have generated plenty of fashion buzz online, but it is a viral red carpet moment that has now become the bigger talking point on social media.

The actor, who attended the festival as a global ambassador for L'Oréal Paris, walked the Cannes red carpet in a pink couture gown designed by Tamara Ralph. The outfit featured a corset-style silhouette with a sculpted sweetheart neckline and a dupatta-inspired wrap, quickly making its way across fan pages and fashion accounts online.

Soon after, however, a clip from the event began circulating widely on X, with several users claiming that Alia appeared to be ignored by photographers during one of her red carpet moments.

In the video, the actor is seen waving and posing for photographers while walking the carpet. But instead of cameras flashing in her direction, several paparazzi members appear distracted, with some lowering their cameras and others turning their attention elsewhere on the red carpet. The clip quickly sparked discussion online, with many users dissecting the awkward moment frame by frame.

“Walking like the main character, no camera flashes around her, not a single pap looked interested,” one user commented. Another wrote, “Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s aura on the red carpet is untouchable. Alia Bhatt can never match that.”

Some social media users also questioned the growing obsession with international validation among Indian celebrities. “I don’t understand why these people keep seeking foreign validation, their main fangroup is in India,” another comment read.

The viral reactions have added a different layer to what was otherwise expected to be a celebratory Cannes debut for the actor. While many fans defended Alia and pointed out that red carpet attention at international festivals often shifts rapidly between celebrities, the clip has continued to fuel online comparisons and debates around star power, global recognition and celebrity visibility at Cannes.

On the work front, Alia will next be seen in Alpha, the seventh instalment in the expanding spy-universe franchise.

Meanwhile, Malayalam actor Kalyani Priyadarshan is also expected to make her Cannes debut this year. The actor recently shared pictures from the French Riviera after arriving in Cannes and is reportedly set to attend the festival on May 14.