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Alia Bhatt Leads L’Oréal’s Cannes 2026 Opener as Backlash Builds Over Aishwarya Rai’s Omission

L’Oréal’s Hotel Martinez campaign choices have drawn scrutiny from Indian fans who see a shift in who the brand spotlights at Cannes.

Overview

  • Alia Bhatt, attending as a L’Oréal Paris global ambassador, walked Tuesday’s opening ceremony red carpet in a peach Tamara Ralph gown styled with a rare coral-and-diamond necklace centered on a 5.53-carat Golconda Type IIa diamond.
  • Earlier Tuesday, Bhatt debuted a custom Yash Patil ball gown hand-painted by artist Basuri Chokshi as an ode to the French Riviera, drawing wide fashion coverage.
  • A now-viral red carpet clip shows photographers appearing to focus elsewhere as Bhatt posed, prompting mixed reactions from Indian fans who praised her poise but called the moment awkward.
  • A May 10 L’Oréal video dressing CannesHotel Martinez with giant ambassador posters featured Bhatt but not longtime face Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and the exclusion triggered online criticism accusing the brand of sidelining her.
  • L’Oréal has confirmed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Alia Bhatt and Aditi Rao Hydari as its Indian ambassadors for this year’s festival, with coverage noting Rai is expected to appear later in the run from May 12 to 23.