Ash at the launch of her film Jazbaa in Cannes. This image was posted on Twitter by @FabulousAish
A representative from FICCI has denied that actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was kept waiting for some 20-odd minutes before being allowed into the India Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival last month. India Pavilion is jointly run by FICCI and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Samir Kumar, deputy director of FICCI's media and entertainment division, said in a statement: "The story that has come out in the media about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's entry to the India Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival is quite baseless. There is no substance in it. As I was present at the venue to manage the affairs at the India Pavilion, I would like to inform you that the entry of Mrs Bachchan to the venue was quite smooth and she was warmly received and she had a very fulfilling session at the pavilion."
Aishwarya, attending an event for her comeback film
Jazbaa on the sidelines of the film festival, was reported to have been stopped at India Pavilion on May 19 because her car lacked a security clearance document called a 'blue pass.'
The 41-year-old actress' publicist Archana Sadanand, who was also at Cannes, described the reports as 'ridiculous.'
Aishwarya, who just made her 14th appearance at Cannes as the face of LOreal, was photographed at the India Pavilion in claret Oscar de la Renta.
Jazbaa, in which Aishwarya plays a lawyer, is the actress' first film in five years since 2010's
Guzaarish. She has been on maternity leave ever since.
The film, directed by Sanjay Gupta, also stars Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher. It releases this October.