Aishwarya Rai Bachchan recently made headlines with her annual appearance at the Cannes Film Festival. While social media hasn’t stopped gushing about her appearance this year, there has also been some trolling and body shaming.
Fans quickly came to Aishwarya’s defense, but now Madhuri Dixit has also strongly defended her ‘Devdas’ co-star. Aishwarya, who has been a fixture at Cannes for over two decades, found herself at the center of social media criticism after photos and videos from the prestigious event sparked discussions about her appearance. However, Madhuri believes that such comments ignore Aishwarya’s achievements and the impact she has made as a global representative for India.Madhuri praised Aishwarya’s long association with the festival and her contributions on the international stage. “She has been going there for 20 years. She has made the whole country proud. She is a global star. She has done a lot for the country. You can’t reduce it to a number on a scale or a number on a dress or a size or a number in calendar years,” the actress said in an interview with PTI. You can’t reduce it to that. She is beautiful. “It looks pretty, but it’s pretty on the inside.”
The two actors shared screen space in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas, in which they also starred
Shah Rukh Khan
.Aishwarya made her debut at Cannes in 2002 when she attended the premiere of Devdas alongside Shah Rukh Khan. Her appearance in a traditional yellow sari sparked widespread global attention, and she has since become one of the most popular Indian celebrities at the festival. Addressing the criticism surrounding Aishwarya’s recent outing at Cannes, Madhuri expressed her concern about the message such statements send to the younger generations.“I think people have to realize that when you make those kind of comments, what kind of message are you sending to young people today? That your worth is in your appearance, not your accomplishments. I think that’s completely the wrong message that’s being sent,” she said. The actor also spoke about the growing culture of online comments, noting that people with critical opinions have always existed, but social media has now given them a louder platform.“Even earlier, there were people like that. Those who comment, they didn’t have the means to comment. But today, they have the means,” she said.On the work front, Madhuri Dixit will next be seen in the black comedy Maa Behen. The film also stars Tripti Dimri, the creator
Darna Durga
and Ravi Kishan in prominent roles and is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on June 4.