Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has finally made her social media debut and set up an Instagram account.

The 44-year-old actress, who has steered clear of social media, made her debut on the photo-video sharing social networking service last week, India’s Economic Times reported. .

"Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has always been a private person and her presence on the social media platform is basically her way of thanking all her well-wishers who have been giving her so much love since the start of her career,” a press release from the actress's PR team stated.

Economic Times reported a source close to Aishwarya revealed it is due to constant requests from her fans from across the globe that she opted to have an official page on Instagram.

While she will be officially available on Instagram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan doesn't have accounts on either Facebook or Twitter.

Bachchan meanwhile returned to India this weekend from the 71st Cannes Film Festival – which she attended with her daughter Aaradhya.

Aishwarya’s Instagram account so far has over 145,000 followers.