Timeline: Aishwarya Will Be The Queen Of Cannes, Always!

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What is the first name that comes to your mind when you hear the words "Cannes Red Carpet?"

Invariably, Aishwarya Rai.

Over the years, the presence of Indian cinema and Indian artists has improved drastically. In recent times, stars like Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone have made a significant contribution to the international entertainment industry.

But much before any of these celebrities; Aishwarya Rai was the face of Indian cinema, abroad. From attending red carpets to appearing in some prestigious talk shows, she has been there, done it all.

She is a regular at the Cannes red carpet from 17 years now and she has earned that reputation in a hard way. She has learned and un-learned every year and secured herself the position which she enjoys today.

Needless to mention, the babe with blue eyes, also became the face of Indian fashion industry, outside India. The fact that Aish will walk the Cannes red carpet for the 17th year this time, proves that she is still at the top of the fashion game. Let's now take a look back at her phenomenal journey.

2002-2003: Her first Cannes red carpet appearance was in 2002, when she presented Devdas with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and SRK. After that, there was no stopping for her.

She returned in 2003 as a jury member. Visibly, the former beauty queen still had not evolved completely, in terms of fashion. During her initial years, she had taken some missteps, over-dressed at times. Escpecially, her traditional looks were extremely over-done back then with eye-hurting colours, bizarre hairstyles and very unsophisticated accesories.

But she only learnt from the mistakes and kept on upping her fashion game.

2005: In 2005, Aishwarya took the French Riviera by storm, as she became the first Indian to open the Cannes Film Festival.

This rippled a wave of happiness and pride among us Indians. She went all bold then, in a black gucci gown with a deep plunge neck-line.

2007: In 2007, a newly-wed Aishwarya made a dazzling appearace with her dear hubby Abhishek in a pristine white Giorgio Armani gown and completed the look with a statement diamond choker.

That year Aishwarya's happiness on the red carpet was a sight to behold

2009-2010: In 2009, she walked the red carpet with her family, Abhishek and Amitabh Bachchan in a fushia pink Cavalli and is considered to be one of her best looks till date.

She made a very traditional entry with her husband again in 2010. In a golden Sabyasachi saree, Aishwarya did traditional right in Cannes this year.

She sported a clean bun and minimal accessories for this look of hers and proved that she has come a long way from 2002 and it's only her who can pull a saree with such panache and aplomb.

2011: This year marked Aishwarya's most futuristic decision with regards to fashion. It will also be safe to say that she took a huge plunge from her signature styles and went all experimental this time.

She wore a structured two-toned Armani Prive and teamed up her look with nude makeup and blue smokey eyes.

2012: This was a very crucial year in her Cannes career, she received a lot of criticisms this year for her post-natal weight.

Regardless, like a true fashion queen and a Cannes veteran, Aish rocked her curves in a greyish blue Ellie Saab gown and the international media and style gurus across the globe hailed her as the one true queen of Cannes.

2014: This year, Aishwarya made a sweeping entry in a glittery, golden Roberto Cavalli gown coupled with wavy tresses and bold lips. She had lost many pounds and was back to her svelte self.

Aishwarya's confidence was touching heights this year and her signature waves and flying kisses on the red carpet won the admiration of her critics as well. This look of Aishwarya is one of the most famous Cannes look till date.

2017: How do you describe Cinderella's beauty? Last year, Aishwarya donned a Michael Cinco, powdery blue Cinderalla gown and proved that age is just a number. The Cannes staple made the world stand up and take notice when she descended on the red carpet, looking exactly like a disney princess.

This year, the actress is scheduled to walk the red carpet on May 11th and with the wide spectrum of fashion and style that she has shown over the years, it very hard to speculate her look for today. So, let's wait for the magic to happen!