Cannes Film Festival 2016: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - The Queen of Cannes

The undisputed Queen of Cannes, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has a habit of bringing the Riviera to a standstill every time she sets foot on the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. This year was no different, as the stunning Indian actress flew in for the premiere of Slack Bay.

Marking her 15<sup>th year at the prestigious film festival, the 42-year-old looked positively regal in a shimmering gold gown by designer Ali Younes, as she turned heads on the red carpet. Matching the jewel-encrusted dress with a sheer embroidered veil draped on her shoulders, the Bollywood beauty had the world's media captivated.

The elegant look was contrasted with bold make up, as dramatic blue eye-shadow complemented her stunning green eyes.

Aishwarya is a seasoned Cannes veteran serving as a global ambassador for cosmetics giant L'Oréal Paris. It's an association that began in 2002 when she presented her film Devdas at the festival, along with her co-star Shah Rukh Khan. In 2003, she was afforded the honour of becoming the first Indian woman to serve on the prestigious Cannes Jury and in 2007 she took to the jetty for a photocall to present the film Heroine. However, she later pulled out of the project announcing the happy news that she was pregnant with her first child with husband, Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan.

Every year since she was six months old, her daughter Aaradhya has accompanied the former Miss World to Cannes and this year was no exception. The mother-daughter duo flew into the Cote D'Azur from Mumbai accompanied by Aishwarya's mother Vrinda Rai.

Last year four-year-old Aaradhya even made her first foray on the red carpet and as Aishwarya hijacked the L'Oreal Paris Twitter account for the day, she revealed that midst all the glamour of the festival and the mayhem of press interviews, she managed to make time for an ice-cream and a ride on the carousel on the croisette with her daughter. She also famously flouted the selfie ban on the red carpet with her partner-in-crime and friend, Eva Longoria.

This year too, the actress took a moment out of her hectic schedule to get up to mischief as she posed in her gown ... in the bathtub.

Speaking to IBTimesUK at the festival last year, she said that her Cannes experience is always memorable and an opportunity to catch up with friends and her fellow ambassadors.

"It's nice to experience that [sense of reunion] at the Cannes platform with a lot of my colleagues and media friends that I have got to know over the years," she explained. "There's a lot of media friends that we get to catch up with after a year, and then there are lots of designer friends and stylists. We keep saying that another year has flown by and here we meet again.

"It's great to see what each of the L'Oréal women are doing," she adds. "We are brand ambassadors, but with our own roles and multifaceted lives. We are always eager to bring a more meaningful voice within the areas that we are working on, and share our experience. While the world out there doesn't imagine that's what we do, and that we could be friends, actually we are."

The actress is currently in the throes of promotions for her next release Sarbjit and will present the film to the media in Cannes on Sunday. And while her sojourn is shorter than usual, Aishwarya still manages to leave her mark on the Riviera, as the most beautiful woman in the world comes to town.

The 69th annual Cannes Film Festival runs until 22 May 2016.