By - Amit kumaR Agarwal
Post-pandemic, suddenly, influencers, particularly from India have filled up their social-media with 'walking the Red Carpet at the Cannes Film Festival'.
Is it true?
Partly yes, because they have walked the Red Carpet at Cannes Film Festival; but were they invited to it?
No.
They bought or got the tickets to walk the Red Carpet. For that matter any person with accreditation and a ticket can walk the Red Carpet of Cannes Film Festival, so what is the big hullabaloo?
The hullabaloo is that these 'influencers' make it feel like they have been invited to the Cannes Film Festival as the celebrities are - prompting select press or 'presse' in French, to coin the term 'random celebrity'. You are not a celebrity; still, in and to your circle, you market yourself as such!
The fact that these 'random celebs' are lauded on social media, often undermining the importance of the films that premiere at the Cannes Film Festival has got the people in the know-how take note. Just to put it in context, Payal Kapadia, is in the jury of Cannes 2025 - one of the major milestones at Cannes; yet the spotlight in the Indian media is on the red carpet appearances of influencers, few repeat, few making their debut. Naysayers might aver, the Indian media highlight is pure advertorial; but nevertheless, the talk and the buzz is about these random celebs.
Even, if it is a celeb like, Janhvi Kapoor; it is not her act in the film selected in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival, rather it's her Red Carpet appearance!
So why suddenly, post-pandemic, so many 'random celebs', read influencers, are at Cannes Film Festival.
Reason is, influencer industry in India really grew post-pandemic! There are both marketing agencies and talent agencies that know Cannes appearance will get them the eyeballs, which pumping in tons of money might won't do.
Earlier official sponsors sponsored their celebrity clients - brands like L'Oreal, Chivas, etc.; these brands get tickets for the Red Carpet for their sponsorship.
Now, creators/influencers marketing agencies are buying these tickets and getting their talent walk the Red Carpet to promote business.
A marketer speaking exclusively to Bhaarat Bol News said, "a ticket to walk the red carpet could cost anywhere up to ₹30 lakhs. Normally, a sponsor is brought on-board who can pay. The sponsors are paid back in kind - content created for the sponsors at Cannes.
The regulars of the festival have been very critical about this aspect of the festival, with Kamal from India, attending Cannes for 20-years now, lamenting, "why are they reducing Cannes Film Festival to Cannes Influencer Festival?"
The fact remains the mystique of the Cannes Red Carpet is such, that it is almost impossible not to mention it, while talking about Cannes - as the industry saying go - there is no business, like show-business!