Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has put an end to weeks of speculation by flying to the Cannes Film Festival with her daughter Aaradhya Bachchan. The mother-daughter pair were spotted at Mumbai airport on Friday morning ahead of their departure to the French Riviera.

The two arrived in coordinated all-black outfits. Aishwarya wore a structured black blazer with floral sequin embroidery, straight-fit black trousers, heeled boots and a black bag with brown handles. Aaradhya complemented her mother’s look in black flared jeans, a black and white buttoned top and a black leather jacket.

Aishwarya greeted waiting photographers with warm smiles and paused to take a photograph with a young fan. 

According to reports, Aishwarya is expected to walk the Cannes red carpet on the festival’s closing day as a representative of L’Oréal.

Netizens reacted enthusiastically to the news of her arrival. Many fans referred to her as the “Queen of Cannes”, while others said they were eagerly waiting to see her red carpet look.
Aishwarya first attended Cannes in 2002 alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the premiere of their film “Devdas”. In 2003, she made her debut at the festival as a L’Oréal ambassador and has remained a regular presence ever since.

The actress was last seen in “Ponniyin Selvan: Part 2”, directed by Mani Ratnam. The film also starred Vikram, Karthi, Trisha Krishnan and Sobhita Dhulipala, among others.

For her performance in the film, Aishwarya won the Best Actress in a Leading Role (Critics) award at the South Indian International Movie Awards in Dubai. She has not yet announced her next project.