Cannes 2025: Nitanshi Goel steals spotlight with portrait-adorned hairdo honouring Rekha & Madhubala; fans call it ¡®a unique tribute¡¯
The ¡®Laapataa Ladies¡¯ actress, Nitanshi Goel, makes her debut at the Cannes Film Festival this year and becomes the youngest Indian actor to be a debutant. Moreover, she stole the spotlight with her second iconic hairdo look. Read more.

The 'Laapataa Ladies' actress Nitanshi Goel joins the bigwigs such as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Alia Bhatt to make an appearance at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. The 17-year-old actress made her debut this year and became the youngest Indian actor to grace the red carpet. Interestingly, Nitanshi captivated the cameras with her edgy style and unique hairdo, which was a tribute to legendary Indian actresses Rekha, Madhubala, Meena Kumari, and Nargis.
Debutant Nitanshi Goel turned heads with her first red carpet look when she donned a black and gold gown with intricate embroidery and layered tulle. The off-shoulder dress was quite minimalistic, and simple accessories enhanced the glamour.
Credit: X
But her second look was something that stole all the spotlight when she appeared wearing a dusty pink and white lehenga-saree.
Nitanshi Goel pays tribute to Indian actresses Rekha, Madhubala
Goel's dusty pink lehenga looked gorgeous, but the most interesting part about the whole look was her hairdo. Her hair was styled with pearl strings and framed portraits of legendary actresses Rekha, Madhubala, Meena Kumari, and Nargis.
Credit: X
This whole hairdo was special in itself and was the highlight of her overall look. The custom pearl hair accessory was beautifully crafted by Be Abhika.
With this gesture, Nitanshi paid her tribute to all the legendary actresses of Indian cinema and proudly represented the beauties of India.
#Cannes2025 | @nitanshi_goel of #LapataLadies fame at the #CannesFilmFestival, representing India & giving tribute to the golden era of Hindi cinema@jaya_delhi @ficci_india @nfdcindia @FICCIFRAMES #BharatAtCannes #CannesFilmFestival2025 #Cannes pic.twitter.com/QGtMhJwfAY
¡ª DD News (@DDNewslive) May 15, 2025
Fans react to her unique hairstyle and tribute
As soon as the pictures of Nitanshi surfaced on social media, fans quickly shared them. Amid this, a Reddit thread dedicated to this garnered massive attention, where one said, "Let¡¯s be honest: a lot of the criticism of Indian actors at Cannes is rooted in class bias and internalised ideas about who is "worthy" of global recognition. That needs to be unpacked."
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¡°Pretty unique way to pay tribute,¡± another said.
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inBollyBlindsNGossip
¡°No Ananya and Shanaya?? The living legends who are making meaningful contributions to the evolving landscape of Indian cinema.¡±
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