Cannes You See the Message? India’s Fashion Diplomacy Is Making Headlines On The Global Red Carpet

It is that time of the year when the sun-drenched coastal town of Cannes is abuzz with the glamour of the global film fraternity to meet the blue of the Mediterranean. Festival de Cannes or Cannes Film Festival, the 12-day-long cine extravaganza is welcoming a host of Indian and global celebrities. While the world's most prestigious film festival was born out of a defiant love for cinema, it has now become more about the red carpet to showcase eye-catching attire. However, this year is different.

Not Just Glamour

For decades, Indian celebrities largely kept their art and image separate from politics and national identity when stepping onto global platforms. The idea was to focus on glamour, cinema, and entertainment. But 2025 is a turning point. Indian artistes and celebrities are no longer shying away from making powerful statements about the country they represent. Indian celebrities and influencers are playing the role of cultural ambassadors. They have made their presence felt not just on the silver screen but also through their elaborate and eye-catching fashion choices.

While Ruchi Gujjar donned a necklace featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, host and internet personality Sonam Chhabra transformed the red carpet into a platform of remembrance and resistance. She wore an ensemble featuring a cape inscribed with four haunting dates and places: 2008-Mumbai, 2016-Uri, 2019-Pulwama, and 2025-Pahalgam.

“The necklace is a symbol of strength, vision, and India’s rise on the world stage. By wearing it at Cannes, I wanted to honour our Prime Minister, whose leadership has taken India to new heights,” said Ruchi. Chhabra called her outfit 'Phoenix rising'. She wrote on her Instagram post: “Ladies and gentlemen, HER! Returned to the Cannes Red Carpet for the second time wearing this outfit 'I'd call 'Phoenix rising' A symbol of strength and rising from the ashes! (sic).”

Chhabra was invited for the world premier of Die, My Love starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson.

Sonam Chhabra transformed the red carpet into a platform of remembrance and resistance (ETV Bharat (special arrangement))

Cultural Diplomacy in Couture

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's highly anticipated Cannes look was put together by ace fashion designer Manish Malhotra. The saree, a handwoven Kadwa Banarasi handloom pick, was ivory. She applied sindoor and paired her saree with handwoven tissue drape, and jewellery from the designer's eponymous jewellery label. The necklace featured over 500 carats of Mozambique rubies and uncut diamonds in 18k gold. Along with that was a statement ring.

“It's a great way of portraying India's image and message through fashion. I loved the sindoor giving away the statement about Operation Sindoor in response to the terror attack that India survived. Everyone did it in their own way to put across the message,” says celebrity fashion designer Amy Billimoria.

When Looks Speak Louder

This is new India for the world to see. While the cinema festival may have seen a shift in focus from films to fashion, this year, Indian celebrities have paid serious attention to what India stands for: zero tolerance to terrorism and faith in leadership. While Gujjar honoured India's top leader, Chhabra paid homage to the martyrs, and Bachchan slayed.

The line of red sindoor glowing in her hair parting sent a clear message at the same time that India is dispatching its delegates to 33 countries to speak about Operation Sindoor (in response to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025). She played the cultural ambassador of India that she is at Cannes.

Her sindoor hit two goals at once. The vermillion is a mark of a married Hindu woman, perhaps also shutting down all the divorce rumours that Aishwarya and husband Abhishek Bachchan have been subjected to for months. Full marks for this one, and for a delightful reminder of Aishwarya's first ever saree look at the French Riviera since 2002 (for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas).

“I would not put sindoor with a white saree but Aishwarya did it because it's not only about a red carpet entry but to make the point. This time, the looks that people are wearing are about making statements," says Billimoria. “However, I wish they would use other platforms as well. What are they doing besides this?” She goes on to elaborate, “People abroad won't understand what the sindoor meant unless they come from a South Asian background and put 2 and 2 together. They will only see it as a beautiful ivory saree with a drape.”

While the sindoor carries immense cultural and emotional weight within India, it often escapes recognition outside the subcontinent. In global settings like Cannes, where the language of style is more Western-centric, the sindoor could be seen as an aesthetic choice rather than the powerful symbol it is.

New India, New Representation

These influencers and celebrities also represented India's evolving global image. This is the New India that speaks not only through diplomacy, but also through its culture, art, and its commitment to peace. “These public acts of representation are not just symbolic or stylistic, but intentional. Indian celebrities are becoming the messengers where the red carpet is also a stage to make an international statement,” says celebrity stylist Dhaara Prajapati.

In a way, they are ensuring that the world not only sees India but they understand what it stands for. This is the face of New India: confident, creative and rooted. Theirs is an identity worn with intention.

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