‘Motherhood is splendid’: Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai isn’t letting cruel weight jibes spoil her baby bliss

She was heavily criticised for not losing her baby weight in stellar time.

But Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is not letting cruel weight jibes spoil her baby bliss. The new mother couldn't help but gush about her six-month-old baby girl Aaradhya as she posed on the red-carpet at the Cannes premiere of Cosmopolis this evening.

Stunning turn: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looked stunning on the red-carpet for the premiere of Cosmopolis in Cannes

'(Motherhood) is wonderful. You ask the question and I beam!' she said.
'It’s splendid... It’s inexplicable.The joy, the bliss, is wonderful. A smile from my daughter and that’s it! She’s good. She’s great.'
While she has been lambasted in her own country by fans for her approach to baby weight loss, the Bollywood star, who was once dubbed 'the most beautiful woman in the world', looked stunning for her red-carpet appearance tonight.
Aishwarya dazzled in a floor-length glittering gown.

So incredibly happy: In the face of being criticised by fans in her native India about her baby weight, the Bollywood star told reporters that motherhood was 'splendid'

The Indian star's ensemble featured a strapless design with a sheer embellished long-sleeve overlay and a long train.
The brunette beauty kept her accessories simple, carrying a simple metallic clutch and a pair of diamond studded earrings.
She wore her dark tresses out in an old-Hollywood style curl and made her beautiful blue eyes pop with plenty of black eyeliner.
Aishwarya has put on a stunning turn during her time in Cannes. 

Gorgeous: The Indian star's ensemble featured a strapless design with a sheer embellished long-sleeve overlay and long train

At the AmfAR Cinema Against Aids gala on Thursday night she looked gorgeous in a gold embroidered sari and co-ordinating tailored jacket with Mandarin collar.
Her hair was piled high on her head and adorned with a slender gold band, while her make-up was understated except for the dark eyeliner around her eyes.

The former Miss World, who is married to Abhishek Bachchan, the son of one of India's best-loved stars, gave birth to her daughter, in November last year.

All eyes in Aish: The actress certainly dazzled the crowd and press with her appearance

She found international fame in the Hollywood film Bride and Prejudice, and Julia Roberts billed her as the world's most beautiful woman.
But an unfortunate recent photograph that captured her with a double chin, sparked a flurry of cruel criticism, with some suggesting that she has a 'duty' to her fans to regain her pre-pregnancy figure.
One website posted a video of the star looking less than her usual svelte self, flicking between photographs of her pre-birth, and photos now.

Star turn: Baby weight or not, Aishwarya looked every inch the Bollywood beauty in a gold embroidered sari and co-ordinating tailored jacket with Mandarin collar at the AmfAR Cinema Against Aids gala on Thursday night

Called 'Aishwarya Rai's shocking weight gain', the clip, which came accompanied by elephant sound effects, has been seen more than 500,000 times.

Dozens more videos in a similar vein have been posted, each with viewing figures in the tens or hundreds of thousands.

Comments left after the video prove that many of those watching have little sympathy for the star.

'She is a Bollywood actress and it is her duty to look good and fit,' one said. Another added: 'She needs to learn from people like Victoria Beckham who are back to size zero weeks after their delivery.'

Letting her fans down? The former Miss World has been lambasted following the publication of an unflattering photo, with critics suggesting that she should have already lost her baby weight

Mrs Rai-Bachchan has commendably remained cool-headed about the criticism, and has been open about the fact that she is in no hurry to lose the few extra pounds she gained during her pregnancy.

'The most beautiful woman in the world': Aishwarya Rai won Miss World in 1994

She has said that she simply wants to 'enjoy motherhood'.
Indeed, if her appearance at Cannes is anything to go by, she has little to worry about.
Nor is she short of support in her goal to prioritise her new daughter.
Though there is certainly more critique than praise, many have come out in defense of the star, saying that she, like any new mother, should be focusing on her infant, not her diet.
One wrote: 'She is a real women looking after a baby. We should be concern [sic] for her health and happiness especially if she is nursing the baby.'
Another said. 'Kudos to you Aish for keeping it real and letting your baby have all the bonding and attention she needs with you. Enjoy your life.'
Media commentators in India have said that expectations placed on the country's most famous stars are impossibly high.
Cinema professor Shohini Ghosh told the New York Daily News: 'There is a glorification of motherhood in India and Indian cinema.
'But people are confused because they don't know whether to glorify Aishwarya in her new motherhood or lament that she is not looking like a runway model.'
Showbusiness columnist Shobhaa Dé added: 'She is held up as the ideal of beauty and so there is an expectation on her to look perfect at all times.'