Kangana Ranaut defends Aishwarya Rai Bachchan amid Cannes trolling: ‘She is glorious’

For over two decades, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been a presence at the Cannes Film Festival. Every outfit has made headlines: Be it her powdery blue Cinderella gown, or a resplendent red gown, or walking down like a vision in white and sporting a Sindoor. This year was just as buzz-worthy, though, as usual, alongside the admiration came a fresh wave of commentary online dissecting her appearance, styling choices and fashion risks.

While social media remained divided over some of Aishwarya’s looks at Cannes 2026, actor-politician Kangana Ranaut stepped in firmly on the actor’s side, shutting down criticism and defending her right to present herself however she chooses.

Reacting to the chatter surrounding Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kangana wrote on her Instagram Stories, “Fashion and style is a self expression. It is one's own interpretation of life and their attitude. No woman owes anything to anyone. Ash looks great! Those of you who want to see her any other way, why don't you show what you got?”

She further added, “She is not here to please you. She is glorious. If you are not used to seeing older women on red carpets, get used to them now. Thanks.”

At Cannes this year, Aishwarya turned to dramatic couture. Representing L'Oréal Paris, a role she has held since 2003 as global ambassador, the actor first appeared in a sculptural blue Amit Aggarwal creation titled Luminara.

She paired the look with a shimmering dupatta, loose curls, pink-toned makeup, a bold red lip and diamond jewellery accented with blue stones.

Later, for the “Lights On Women’s Worth” event, Aishwarya switched to a softer palette, wearing a pastel pink Sophie Couture gown featuring floral embellishments and a flowing sheer cape.

For the closing ceremony of the 79th edition of the festival, the actor turned to monochrome glamour in a layered white tuxedo-inspired ensemble complete with feathered details, a feather boa and voluminous curled hair.

Previously, Alia Bhatt had received much backlash for her appearances at the Cannes Film Festival.  For days, there were narratives being pushed that none of the paps were taking photos of Alia, though her fans did their best to counter the narrative and showed actual evidence of her at the red carpet.

Earlier, actors Aly Goni and singer Rahul Vaidya also reacted to trolling around her Cannes appearances, backing her publicly. Finally, she hit back with a cheeky jab. Under one of her posts featuring her white saree look, a user dropped: “What a pity no one noticed you”. Alia Bhatt replied, “Why pity love? You noticed me :).”