Aishwarya Rai arrives at Hotel Martinez, the same Cannes hotel behind snub chatter

Ending the speculation around her Cannes appearance, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan arrived at Hotel Martinez in Cannes with her daughter Aaradhya. It is the same hotel that was behind her alleged snub by L'Oréal 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

Actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Friday arrived at Hotel Martinez in Cannes, the same hotel that was at the centre of recent snub chatter over her absence from L’Oral Paris campaign. A video that appeared on Friday showed the actor reaching the hotel on the French Riviera with her daughter Aaradhya Bachchan, ahead of her expected appearance on the festival's red carpet in 2026.

Her arrival follows days of speculation over whether she would attend the festival this year. The discussion had intensified after fans noticed that Aishwarya was missing from L’Oreal Paris’ recent Cannes campaign visuals, which featured ambassadors including Alia Bhatt, Viola Davis, Eva Longoria and Helen Mirren.

Her absence from the posters displayed at Hotel Martinez led to questions online over whether she had been left out and whether that meant she would skip the event.

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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