‘You Cannot Reduce Her To…’ Madhuri Defends Aishwarya Rai’s Cannes Look Amid Backlash

Year after year, Aishwarya Rai makes an appearance during the Cannes Film Festival. Fans root for her and anticipate her arrival every year and the same fans also troll her for what she’s wearing.

This year as well, fans made a whole scene when L’Oreal didn’t reveal her poster. When she did actually show up to the festival, it was a mix of oohs and oh nos. Luckily, Madhuri Dixit will back her former co-star.

Madhuri Dixit Defends Aishwarya Rai

Speaking with PTI while promoting her latest movie, Maa Behen, Madhuri Dixit talked about Aishwarya Rai and all the backlash surrounding her latest and former appearances at the Cannes Film Festival.

“She (Aishwaya) has been going there (Cannes) for 20 years. She has done the whole country proud. She is a global star. As a Miss World, she has done so much for the country.”

She added, “You cannot reduce her to a number on a scale or a number on the dress or the size or a number on the calendar years. You cannot reduce her to that. She is beautiful. She looks beautiful, but she is beautiful inside.”

She concluded, “I think people have to realise that when you do these kinds of comments, what kind of message are you sending to the youngsters today? That your worth is on how you look, not on your achievements. I think this is a completely wrong message being sent.”

For an actress who has always been looked up to, criticising her feels more like disrespect for all her contributions. Constructive criticism and downright hate become two very different things. Both Madhuri and Aishwarya worked together with Shah Rukh Khan on Devdas and it was the film’s international appeal that got the actress her spot in the festival for the last twenty years.

Madhuri’s latest film, Maa Behen, will premiere on June 4, also starring Triptii Dimri and Dharna Durga. The film follows the average family dynamics between two sisters and their mothers with their daughters. It also ropes in the thriller crime trope, making it the ideal dark comedy to watch.