Aishwarya Rai Bachchan recently made headlines with her annual appearance at the Cannes Film Festival. While social media couldn’t stop gushing over her looks this year, there was also some trolling and body-shaming. Fans quickly came to Aishwarya’s defence 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 centre of social media criticism after photographs and videos from the prestigious event sparked discussions about her appearance. Madhuri, however, believes such comments overlook Aishwarya’s achievements and the impact she has had as a global representative of India.Madhuri praised Aishwarya’s long-standing association with the festival and her contributions on the international stage. “She has been going there for 20 years. She has done the whole country proud. She is a global star. She has done so much for the country. You cannot reduce her to a number on a scale or a number on the dress or the size or a number on the calendar years. You cannot reduce her to that. She is beautiful. She looks beautiful but she is beautiful inside,” the actress said in an interview with PTI. The two actors shared screen space in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s acclaimed film Devdas, which also starred Shah Rukh Khan.Aishwarya made her Cannes debut in 2002 when she attended the premiere of Devdas alongside Shah Rukh Khan. Her appearance in a yellow traditional saree generated widespread international attention, and she has since become one of the most recognised Indian celebrities at the festival. Addressing the criticism surrounding Aishwarya’s latest Cannes outing, Madhuri expressed concern about the message such remarks send to younger generations.“I think people have to realise that when you do these kinds of comments, what kind of message are you sending to the youngsters today? That your worth is on how you look, not on your achievements. I think this is a completely wrong message being sent,” she said. The actor also reflected on the growing culture of online commentary, 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 a means to comment. But today, they have the means,” she said.On the work front, Madhuri Dixit will next be seen in the dark comedy Maa Behen. The film also stars Triptii Dimri, content creator Dharna Durga and Ravi Kishan in prominent roles and is slated to premiere on Netflix on June 4.
