Janhvi’s Cannes look: A nod to Aishwarya?

Janhvi Kapoor turned heads at the Cannes Film Festival with her ethereal debut appearance in an ensemble fit for royalty. But, fashion watchers and cinephiles alike are now wondering if the look was the young actress' subtle homage to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. After Janhvi made her debut on the red carpet, fans took to social media to ask if her look was inspired by Ash's iconic 1998 avatar from the film 'Jeans'. The buzz began after a side-by-side comparison went viral on X (formerly Twitter), showcasing Janhvi’s rose-tinted Tarun Tahiliani ensemble alongside a still of Aishwarya from the song Poovukkul. In the Shankar-directed film, Aishwarya stunned in a silver lehenga with a matching dupatta draped gracefully over her head, accentuated by strands of pearls.

She rocked the look while playing Egyptian royalty in the song sequence that saw her switching costumes as she danced away on the wonders of the world.

Fast forward to Cannes 2025, Janhvi walked the red carpet in a custom-made rose-hued creation that featured a handwoven real tissue skirt and a delicately structured corset, made in Banaras, and paired with a sheer dupatta reminiscent of old-world charm. It's not hard to see why the piece sparked immediate comparisons to Aishwarya’s iconic costume.

While Janhvi has not explicitly cited the Jeans look as inspiration, the resemblance hasn’t gone unnoticed. Aishwarya Rai, of course, has long been regarded as the undisputed queen of Cannes, making her debut at the festival in 2002. She has since gone on to make some bold fashion choices that have set the bar high for fashion watchers.

Meanwhile, Ash, who touched down in Cannes on Tuesday, is all set to walk the red carpet. The actress was seen arriving at the festival with her daughter Aaradhya in tow. It remains to be seen if the mother-daughter duo will walk the carpet together.