Madhuri Dixit has defended Aishwarya Rai Bachchan against trolling that erupted after photographs and videos from Cannes appeared on social media.
"You can't reduce her to that," Madhuri said, according to NDTV Movies.
Aishwarya, who has attended the Cannes red carpet since 2002, became the target of body-shaming comments in the days following the festival. The criticism focused on her appearance rather than her presence at one of cinema's biggest stages.
Madhuri's intervention is a rare moment of solidarity from one of Bollywood's major names. The veteran actress is defending a peer and commenting on the toxic culture that judges women on their bodies rather than their contributions to cinema.
Aishwarya has represented Indian cinema at Cannes for over two decades. Yet one appearance became the subject of cruel commentary, overshadowing her decades of work in the industry.
The trolling reflects how social media can turn quickly from admiration to attack based on unrealistic beauty standards.
Madhuri's response pushes back against the criticism directed at Aishwarya.
