Alia Bhatt He made several appearances at the Cannes Film Festival, but not all of them went well. While she put a lot of effort into her appearance, social media users noticed that international photographers were paying little attention to her during a red carpet walk, and the clip quickly went viral. In addition, a well-known author and columnist Shobhaa De Alia elaborated, saying the actress was waving to her team and not the crowd or photographers around her.
Shobhaa De calls on Indian celebrities at Cannes 2026
Shobhaa De didn’t hold back when she decided to share her thoughts on Indian celebrities at Cannes this year. He took to Instagram and posted a reel where he gave his unfiltered view of the overall look and presence of Indian actors at the prestigious international film festival. Along with the foot that didn’t hit the reel, he wrote, “Sorry! This is India’s embarrassing ‘No Cannes Do’ moment.… Just FYI: In 2026 most of Hollywood’s bigwigs were out. Three worthy Indian filmmakers were officially invited. The rest paid their way to the Festival. Or they were as brand ambassadors.” In the reel itself, Shobhaa addressed the widespread chatter about Alia being seemingly ignored by photographers, and made it clear that she thought the actress’ fashion choices at the festival didn’t go her way. She opened the reel by saying, “Here’s the delayed Cannes reel. As you know, there are some things Cannes does, and some things Cannes doesn’t. So here are some things that I think Cannes is missing, especially from the Indian contingent, who are so desperate to make an impact on that red carpet and don’t really want to cut corners.”
Shobhaa De on why Indian stars haven’t made an impact at Cannes
De noted that the visuals at Cannes made it quite clear that “our ladies have tried to imitate something that they are not very comfortable doing.” She also didn’t shy away from facing the harsh reality of being an Indian celebrity on the international stage, stating that “you can’t go there, you can imagine, it’s an amazing seam and nobody expects to take pictures of you because they don’t know who you are.“However, his harshest words were reserved for Alia, who took a sharp but enthusiastic jab at the actress during her red carpet moment.“But I have to hand it to Alia Bhatt with no one, except maybe her HMU (hair and make-up) team, for taking pictures of her. Maybe she was waving to her team, blowing kisses, hoping that the visuals and optics, once on global Instagram, would present a slightly different picture,” Shobhaa said in her video.De looked at each outfit individually and said, “It was a peachy, ill-fitting dress. Sorry, it didn’t work for me. The dress she wore for the India pavilion didn’t work for me. Nath kind of did, but nath is dead. The other carpet looks in this weather, the sky, when it should be something much lighter, much breezy… This is too much. I didn’t like a single look.’
It is praised by Shobhaa De Aishwarya Rai As the only Indian star recognized at Cannes
The author acknowledged that Aishwarya hasn’t always gotten her look right at Cannes over the years, but made it clear that she is still the only Indian star who is truly known and recognized globally. Shobhaa said, “Over the years I’ve had a lot of issues with her looks, the purple lipstick and that hoodie, but at the end of the day, she’s the only Indian star on that carpet. These women are not there for their achievements in cinema, but to encourage and promote a range of cosmetics and shampoos”.
Shobhaa De calls Urvashi Rautela ‘lovely’, crowns John Collins The star of Cannes 2026
Urvashi was surprisingly warm to Rautela, calling her “lovely” and setting her apart from the rest. When it came to choosing the real star of Cannes this year, Shobhaa did not hesitate for a second and gave that title to Joan Collins, saying that she was “the real star of this year’s Cannes”.
Alia Bhatt’s Cannes 2026 trip and her stylish response to a troll
This year was Alia’s second appearance on the Cannes red carpet, having made her debut at the festival in 2025. The actress pulled out all the stops with her fashion choices, turning heads at every outing. She dazzled in a peach gown at the opening ceremony, made a bold statement in an ivory silk gown at the opening of the Bharat Pavilion, and left everyone speechless in a dreamy blue Cinderella dress at the screening of La Vie d’Une Femme. But it wasn’t just her looks that grabbed attention, Alia also made headlines on social media for the way she handled a troll. When she shared the reel where she looked stunning in an ivory silk dress, one user left a serious comment in the comments section, writing, “Too bad no one noticed you,” along with a laughing emoji. Instead of ignoring it, Alia fired calmly and willingly. He wrote: “Why pity love? You noticed me :).” The Cannes Film Festival, which started on May 12, will continue until May 23.
