Indian actress and former beauty queen, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan brought the Riviera to a standstill as she graced the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. The 43-year-old Bollywood actress looked magical in a Michael Cinco Fall 2017 Couture dress from the Dream of Versailles collection at the premiere of the film, Okja.
This is the 16th year of the Bollywood actress at the prestigious film festival. The Pride and Prejudice star has been representing cosmetic brand L'Oreal since 2002 at the Cannes. She has also served as a jury member of the festival in 2003, becoming the first Indian actress to do so.
Ahead of the event, Aishwarya recalled the first she came to Cannes with the hit Hindi film, Devdas. She told AFP: "It was the first time that an Indian movie was screened here. Soon after, I was here as a jury member which was a first for any Indian actor. It was an honour and an incredible experience. Down the years, it's virtually like I am a part of the family here and I feel very much at home."
"My first experience was truly memorable and exceedingly special. We always heard how the duration of our cinema can sometimes be a bit overwhelming for the audience beyond (our) shores and Devdas by that measure is a long film," she added.
"If I remember correctly, we got a 10-minute applause. It meant the world to us. It was by far the most touching and overwhelming experience for us because it was quite unexpected," Aishwarya shared.
