With the ghunghat, Ruchi Gujjar brought a bold protest to Cannes

Ruchi Gujjar walked the Cannes carpet in a full ghunghat with her Rajasthani ensemble to send out a strong message.

Remember Ruchi Gujjar? Yes, the same Indian actor who walked the Cannes carpet last year in a full Rajasthani bridal avatar, draped in gold and traditional kundan jewellery, with a special shoutout to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This year too, Gujjar is in Cannes, and she definitely has an agenda. No, it is not to impress fashion critics, but to make a strong statement against the ghunghat practice.

This year, she appeared in a traditional Rajasthani outfit, a vibrant pink lehenga adorned with intricate silver zari embroidery. Her jewellery was also an extension of her Rajasthani identity and included a traditional borla, pocha, bajubandh, and aad. But that was not the whole point.

While many at the Cannes Film Festival were paying homage to their roots and culture through their outfits, including Paithani sarees and other traditional ensembles, Gujjar was trying to push a larger narrative.

She arrived on the carpet wearing a full-length ghunghat covering her face and used the moment to draw attention to the forced practice of ghunghat that is still followed in many rural and urban homes across India.

In an interview with Moneycontrol, Gujjar said, “I did not wear the ghunghat as a symbol of silence. I wore it as a symbol of resistance. A woman's dignity should come from equality, confidence, and freedom, not from hiding her face. If my presence at Cannes can start even one conversation about women trapped under social pressure, then this walk had meaning beyond fashion. My ghunghat is not submission. It is a protest.”

The outfit was designed by Roopa Sharma. The designer, who is from Rajasthan herself, added, “Culture should empower women, not erase them. Tradition should evolve with time. Respect should never demand invisibility.”

And this is what we call fashion with a purpose. Do you agree?

- Ends