Cannes 2022: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on the red carpet (Image Credit: AFP)
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan brought the drama to the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday evening. The Cannes veteran went big for her first rec carpet appearance this year, attending the screening of Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick in a black ballgown with 3D flowers attached to it. The Dolce and Gabbana dress was so high-octane that Aishwarya skipped her trademark red lip, keeping both hair and makeup simple. Aishwarya's look was guaranteed to divide opinion; speaking for ourselves, she gets full marks for effort – the dress is way out of Aishwarya's comfort zone of mermaid silhouettes and lacy Elie Saab so 10 on 10 for taking a style risk.
On Twitter, however, the jury is out. Fan clubs dedicated to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan obviously loved her look and flooded social media with admiring posts. Fan clubs aren't the only ones to have been bowled over – this tweet described Aishwarya's dress as "cute" and "unique." Also, can Aishwarya display fashion range? It seems that she can?
Others on Twitter did not like the look even a little bit. "Aishwarya's dress this year is a disaster," read one brutal verdict, "I get that she dresses for her kid but nope, this wasn't it."
Another tweet reserved condemnation Aishwarya's stylist, denouncing the dress as "tacky."
Red carpet looks as seen on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and jury member Deepika Padukone at Cannes so far have been something of an object lesson in excess – Deepika's first red carpet appearance in a Sabyasachi saree was styled with mega-eyeliner that swept across the entirety of her eyelids. This tweet commented on the over-the-top fashion we've seen so far.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has done floral looks at Cannes before this, memorable showing up in a Rami Kadi dress and lips that photographed purple.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at Cannes in 2016 (Image Credit: Getty)
Dramatic as Aishwarya's dress was, it – and all other red carpet activity – was eclipsed by the Top Gun-worthy welcome Tom Cruise received at the film festival. French Air Force jets streaked across the sky, painting it in the colours of the French flag. Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited and COVID-delayed sequel to Tom Cruise's 1986 blockbuster, stars the actor as US Navy pilot Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell.