Raveena Tandon slams Aishwarya Rai’s Cannes trolls: ‘Miserable behaviour’

Actor Raveena Tandon has come out in support of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, condemning the online trolling the former Miss World faced after her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival. Calling the criticism “deeply unfortunate and incredibly unfair”, Raveena said the relentless scrutiny of women’s appearance reflects the toxic nature of today’s digital culture.

Aishwarya became the target of online criticism after walking the Cannes red carpet in a sculpted blue gown designed by Amit Aggarwal. Speaking to PTI, Raveena said the obsession with a woman’s age, weight and fashion choices exposes a troubling trend on social media.

“It is unfortunate and incredibly unfair. This relentless, hyper-fixation on a woman’s ageing process, her weight, or her wardrobe choice is an ongoing toxic trait of our digital culture,” she said.

Describing Aishwarya as a “global icon”, Raveena praised her for representing India with dignity on the world stage for decades.

“Aishwarya is an absolute global icon who has represented our country with unparalleled dignity and grace on international platforms for decades. To reduce a woman of her stature, achievements, and intelligence down to a bad camera angle or an experimental dress is just miserable behaviour,” she said.

Raveena also pointed to the double standards faced by women in the film industry, saying female stars are expected to look exactly as they did decades ago, while male actors are allowed to age without facing similar criticism.

Following the backlash against Aishwarya’s Cannes appearance, actors Madhuri Dixit and Kangana Ranaut had also publicly defended her.

Meanwhile, Raveena is enjoying the success of her latest film, Welcome to the Jungle, directed by Ahmed Khan and headlined by Akshay Kumar. The comedy features a large ensemble cast and has crossed the ₹100 crore mark at the Indian box office.