Influencers are taking over Cannes Film Festival. Is it that easy to get there?

Hindustan Times

22-05-2025

Over the last few years, several Indian influencers have made their debut at the Cannes Film Festival. From Kusha Kapila to Dolly Singh, Nancy Tyagi to Ankush Bahuguna, Ranveer Allahbadia to Viraj Ghelani, the list is endless. Their red carpet outfits have taken over social media discourse, often gliding over the importance of the films and other projects that have premiered at the prestigious festival over the years.
Take for instance this year, even as Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia is in the main jury- a major milestone for an independent filmmaker, the spotlight has shifted to the red carpet appearances of influencers making their Cannes debuts. There is also the new Neeraj Ghaywan film Homebound, produced by Karan Johar, which premiered at the Un Cetain Regard section.
However, majority of the social media chatter surrounding Cannes this year is about how Nancy Tyagi's outfit on the red carpet was not made from scratch, but was reportedly sourced from another brand altogether. Then there are the rest of the social media figures who are at Cannes this year, from Masoom Minawala to Parul Gulati, Sakshi Sindwani to Sarah Sarosh.
A post shared by Nancy Tyagi (@nancytyagi___)
A few days ago, Kusha Kapila had called out the label of 'random celebrity' assigned to her and defended her presence at the festival in 2023. 'Historically companies HAVE sponsored celebrities and actors to walk the red carpet. Brands buy the ticket for the red carpet. Title sponsors of the event can have their ambassadors walk on the carpets. It's not a trend started by creators/influencers. Calling me out for not yet making a mark as an actor is fair, I will keep trying and take that on my chin but please don't refer to me as a random celebrity. Calling someone's entire existence random is not cool. I am a creator. Call me that please. It's a meme for you. For me, it's my identity,' she said.
It's true. Brut is the official media partner for the festival, and has access to different screenings and red carpet events that take place over the course of ten days. So in most cases, these tickets are leveraged by the influencers and social media celebrities to attend the event, and promote their own personal brand.
'A one-off ticket to walk the red carpet could cost about ₹30 lakh. An (influencer) will then get a sponsor on board who can pay for this, create content for them at Cannes, and walk the red carpet. That's how it works," said journalist Aishwarya Subramanyam on her Instagram Stories in 2024. 'Sometimes an agency will strike a bulk deal with Brut for multiple tickets for their talent which brings down the total cost- to as little as 10 lakh per ticket,' she added further.
A source tells us that 'tickets' for such appearances by influencers often cost them upwards of ₹30 lakh.
While it might seem like a tough pill to swallow, particularly for those who look up to the festival as a haven for all things cinema- the real picture is much different; rather a platform for endorsements that are business-oriented at the end of the day. Yes, Cannes features some of the best movies of the year in world cinema, but it is also so much more than that. Glamour and red carpet fashion run alongside the premieres, and Cannes somehow breaks the code of monolithic cinema-going landscape into a radical acceptance of the business that inadvertently surrounds it.