23 Years, Zero Misses: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Is Here to Close Cannes 2026 With a Bang!

After weeks of swirling speculation and a social media storm that gripped fans worldwide, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has finally confirmed her attendance at the 79th Cannes Film Festival , and she is saving her entrance for the grandest moment of all. The actor will be part of the closing ceremony on May 23 , with her airport sighting serving as the clearest confirmation yet that the Queen will walk the red carpet of the prestigious festival after all.

Videos shared by paparazzi and entertainment pages quickly surfaced online showing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter Aaradhya Bachchan walking through the Mumbai airport together, heading to the French Riviera for the festival's final day. The mother daughter duo, both dressed in matching black outfits, sent fans into a frenzy online, with many expressing relief after days of uncertainty.

The run up to her arrival was anything but quiet. Beauty giant L’Oréal Paris ignited fierce online backlash after omitting Aishwarya Rai Bachchan from a promotional video released ahead of the event, which showed campaign posters being installed across a Cannes hotel building featuring ambassadors including Alia Bhatt , Viola Davis , Eva Longoria , and Helen Mirren . Fans responded by flooding Instagram and X with AI generated images of the global icon in fictionalized Cannes ensembles , widely seen as a counter campaign protesting her exclusion. Following the backlash, L’Oréal Paris confirmed that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan , along with Alia Bhatt and Aditi Rao Hydari , would represent India at the festival this year. Aishwarya has been a global ambassador for the brand since 2003 and has attended Cannes with them more than 20 times.

This year, the festival which began on May 12 , saw several Indian celebrities walk the red carpet , including Alia Bhatt, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, Jacqueline Fernandez, Aditi Rao Hydari, Mouni Roy, and Urvashi Rautela, while Aishwarya Rai Bachchan remained one of the most anticipated arrivals. She made her Cannes debut in 2002 for the premiere of Devdas alongside Shah Rukh Khan and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali , and has appeared on the red carpet every year since without fail.

With all eyes now firmly on the French Riviera , Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is poised to do what she has done for over two decades, walk in last, and leave the lasting impression.