Aishwarya Rai Bachchan reaches Hotel Martinez amid Cannes 2026 snub buzz

Actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan arrived at Hotel Martinez in Cannes with her daughter Aaradhya. Her appearance came after days of speculation over her attendance at the film festival.

In Short

• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan arrived at the French Riviera for Cannes 2026
• She was seen with daughter Aaradhya at Hotel Martinez
• Aishwarya has been a Cannes regular since 2002

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has arrived in the French Riviera ahead of her much-awaited appearance at the Cannes red carpet 2026. A video that surfaced on Friday showed the actor stepping out of a black luxury car at Hotel Martinez with her daughter Aaradhya Bachchan.

Her arrival comes days after speculation over whether she would attend the festival at all. Hotel Martinez had also been at the centre of reports of an alleged snub involving L'Oreal Paris. That, along with her absence from the brand’s recent Cannes campaign visuals, had led to questions among fans about whether she would skip the event this year.

Aishwarya's arrival in Cannes

Aishwarya was seen carrying a floral bouquet as she entered the hotel along with Aaradhya. Dressed in an all-black outfit, she greeted the officials standing at the entrance, posed for pictures and waved at fans.

Why fans were talking about her absence

Over the years, Aishwarya has become one of the most recognised Indian faces at Cannes. So when L'Oreal Paris shared its campaign visuals featuring ambassadors including Alia Bhatt, Viola Davis, Eva Longoria and Helen Mirren, fans quickly noticed that Aishwarya was missing from them.

The brand shared the clip with the caption, “And action! The most iconic facade in Cannes is getting its festival look.” The post led to strong reactions online. Many fans wondered why Aishwarya was not part of the visuals and whether that meant she would not attend the festival this year. Later, L'Oreal reacted to the critics by calling Aishwarya a living legend.

A Cannes regular

Aishwarya made her first appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002 for the premiere of Devdas, along with Shah Rukh Khan and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. A year later, she returned to the festival as a global ambassador for L'Oreal Paris.

Since then, she has remained one of Cannes’ most familiar Indian faces. Her red carpet appearances over the past two decades, from gowns to sarees and beauty looks, have regularly drawn attention online and remained a major talking point among Indian audiences.

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