New Delhi, May 22 -- An ivory saree, a tissue drape, and rubies wrapped around her neck - but what truly caught everyone's eye in Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's first Cannes appearance this year was the bold streak of red sindoor in her hair. Just as India begins sending delegations to 33 countries to talk about Operation Sindoor - launched after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 - Aishwarya showed up as the "perfect cultural ambassador", wearing her identity with pride on one of the biggest global stages, netizens claimed.

The sindoor did more than make a style statement. The vermillion, traditionally worn by married Hindu women, also seemed to put a lid on all the buzzing divorce rumours surrounding Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan over ...