After a series of unimpressive red carpet turnouts by Indian actors at the Cannes Film Festival 2013, all eyes will be on Bollywood diva and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

The 39-year-old actress, widely acclaimed as one of the most beautiful women in the world, is a regular at Cannes, where she is an ambassador for L'Oreal, and rarely disappoints fashion watchers.

Rai and her daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan, reached Cannes on Friday and are expected on the red carpet on Monday (20 May).

The actress's father-in-law, legendary Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, confirmed her arrival by tweeting: "Media tomorrow, and then wait for the bahurani to arrive with bitiya, meet them and get on plane back to London and then home!!"

The fashion statements apart, it will be interesting to see if Rai will walk the red carpet with her 18-month-old daughter in tow. Both the mother and the father, actor Abhishek Bachchan, have been very protective of their child so far.

Pregnancy Weight Row

This time last year, Rai was just recovering from her pregnancy and giving birth to Aaradhya .

And the new mother, quite properly, refused to bow to demands that she return to her pre-pregnancy figure immediately. The furore resulted in an almost worldwide debate on weight gain-related stress for celebrity mothers.

At the end of it all though, not only did Rai walk the Cannes red carpet in her natural figure, but she wound up reclaiming the status of one of the world's most beautiful women.

What Will Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Wear?

Last year Rai opted for a mix of traditional and Western wear, choosing a dark grey Elie Saab gown on one occasion and a sari designed by the Indian design duo of Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.

This year, rumours suggest she will return to the traditional theme, just as fellow Bollywood divas Vidya Balan and Sonam Kapoor did on previous days.

Unfortunately, Balan and Kapoor have so far disappointed. The wardrobe reflects an understandable theme, given Cannes 2013 is honouring the 100th year of Indian cinema, but neither Balan, Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan nor Mallika Sherawat have impressed so far.

It will likely be left to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, as it so often has over the past decade, to rescue a measure of fashion honour.

Meanwhile, scroll down for photos of the glamorous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on the Cannes Film Festival's red carpet, over the years...