Aishwarya Rai's 41 Cannes red carpet looks that show how much her style has changed

As Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stepped out at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday evening in a black, white and gold gown, it marked the Indian celebrity's 22nd turn on the festival's red carpet. Having made her first appearance during the premiere of Devdas in 2002, she became the first Bollywood actress to be a jury member at the festival in 2003, the year she became a global brand ambassador for L'Oreal.

Being the face of the beauty brand has led to a host of red carpet appearances over the years. And along with her movie premieres, including 2016's Sarbjit, and her work with other luxury brands such as Longines, she's been turning heads with her striking, if sometimes divisive, looks at the festival.

Initially, Roberto Cavalli was her go-to designer, but she's also been known to represent names from the Middle East and South Asia.

She frequently wears Lebanese designers, especially Rami Kadi and Elie Saab.

She's also a huge fan of Filipino designer from Dubai, Michael Cinco, who has designed two of her most memorable looks at Cannes, including one voluminous blue gown in 2017 that caused quite a stir.

Closer to her home, she's worn pieces by Indian design houses Sabyasachi and the duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla numerous times on the red carpet.

Rai Bachchan is also a huge fan of British brand Ralph & Russo's go-big-or-go-home, structural gowns.

In 2022, she was seen in a dramatic black-and-floral gown by Dolce & Gabbana, and turned heads in a pale pink architectural creation, covered with silver embellishment, by Indian designer Gaurav Gupta.

Last year, Rai Bachchan made only one red carpet appearance, but ensured she was the talk of the town with a dramatic silver gown by Sophie Couture. The heavily embellished gown featured a giant hood and the dress was finished off with a large black bow.

For her 22nd appearance this year, Rai Bachchan looked to her home country again, wearing another head-turning ensemble by Indian designer duo Falguni and Shane Peacock.

The black corseted gown came with billowy white sleeves with gold accents splattered across the front of the dress. There was more gold on the train in the form of giant gold flowers.

Rai Bachchan's finished her look with a plastered arm, from an unspecified injury.

Her look the next day, a shimmery double-shaded green and silver gown complete with a dramatic trail, had the internet even more divided.

While some praised her for having a ball on the Cannes red carpet with her fashion, many compared her dress, also by Falguni and Shane Peacock, to a pinata, the Spanish decorative figure usually stuffed with candies that's hung and then broken at parties.

Rai Bachchan was greeted on the red carpet by fellow L'Oreal ambassador Eva Longoria, who wore a sequin-embellished Elie Saab Haute Couture gown, and the pair took a moment to pose for a photo together.