Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is turning heads at Cannes 2025 with back-to-back statement looks. After rocking a white saree with sindoor for her first appearance, the 51-year-old diva stepped out in a dramatic black shimmer gown paired with an oversized white cape. While her bold style made instant waves, reactions were mixed, some loved the fashion drama, others weren’t entirely convinced. (Also read: Janhvi Kapoor serves drama in all black vintage look at Cannes, channels ’90s Hollywood glamour )

What Aishwarya wore

For her second Cannes 2025 appearance, Aishwarya wore a custom Gaurav Gupta couture creation. Anonymous fashion insider Diet Sabya shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the making of her outfit on his Instagram account. In the video, Gaurav revealed that Aishwarya wanted to create something “timeless, beautiful, and elegant just like her.” He added that the inspiration came from a blend of old Hollywood glamour and his own Paris Couture Week collection from January.

The gown itself was a cosmic fantasy, crafted in plush velvet with intricate galactic embroidery in silver and gold, meant to resemble stars and planets scattered across the cosmos. Gaurav described it as a “sprinkle of the universe” brought to life through design.

How internet reacted

Aishwarya’s video quickly racked up thousands of likes and comments. One user quipped, “So sorry but it looks like she draped a satin hotel sheet around her for extra protection,” while another chimed in, “That bedsheet could have been avoided, but she has to ruin her look in some way or the other.” A fan commented, “She looks beautiful, but that jacket or whatever that is taking attention away from her whole appearance,” and another pointed out, “For all that talk, the final result doesn’t do justice to her body frame.”

More about her look

To add to the drama, the look was paired with a regal cape made from handwoven brocade straight from Banaras, styled like a pre-constructed shawl that trailed effortlessly on both sides. The show-stealing element of her outfit was the shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita embroidered on the back of the cape. Aishwarya completed her look with dazzling diamond drop earrings, bold red lips, and voluminous curls.