When Ash shocked fans with purple lipstick at Cannes

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and the

Cannes Film Festival

go hand in hand. For years, she’s been gracing the red carpet with her iconic style, giving fans some truly unforgettable fashion moments. As the Cannes Film Festival 2025 kicks off, let’s go back to one of her boldest and most talked-about looks ever, when she wore that purple lipstick in 2016.The purple lipstick that went viralIn 2016, the 'Jodhaa Akbar' actress showed up at the Cannes red carpet looking stunning as always. But it wasn’t her gown that stole the show, it was her bright purple lipstick. She kept the rest of her look simple, wearing no other jewellery except two diamond earrings.Within minutes, her lipstick shade became a hot topic on social media. Some praised it, some turned it into memes, and others called it a ‘fashion blunder’. It didn’t matter whether people loved or hated it, everyone was talking about it. Aishwarya’s purple lips became the internet’s obsession.

Amitabh Bachchan’s classy takeSoon after the purple lipstick moment blew up online, Aishwarya’s father-in-law and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, was asked about it. Speaking to DNA, Big B gave a graceful and thoughtful response.He said, "What is wrong with that? Social media gives someone the opportunity to express themselves. You’ve never had that opportunity before, you never knew what others were thinking about you, at least now you know. And the good part is, it lasts for a day or half-a-day; the next day, something else comes up.”He pointed out that in today’s fast-moving world, attention spans are short and trends fade quickly. According to him, social media simply allows people to say what they feel — and there’s nothing wrong with that.Amitabh added, "Things move so rapidly in today’s life that you don’t have time. One’s attention span is so limited and so small. Whether it is watching the news on TV, every two minutes you hear a bang in the middle of the most sincere news, purely because they don’t want you to get to your remote and change the channel. That’s how life has become. Social media gives everybody a voice, everybody an opportunity, everybody a democratic opportunity to express themselves. What’s wrong with that?”What started as online trolling eventually turned into a major beauty trend. Over time, many fans and social media content creators tried out bold lip colours inspired by Aishwarya’s look. All eyes on Cannes 2025As Cannes 2025 kicks off, fans are once again looking forward to seeing what Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will wear. Will she play it safe? Or will she serve another headline-making look? One thing’s for sure, whether it’s purple lipstick or something completely unexpected, Aishwarya knows how to own it.