Most of the buzz around the Cannes Film Festival 2023 has been around fashion moments on the red carpet. Bollywood actress and OG Cannes fashionista Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s gown sparked memes about it resembling tin foil; influencer Dolly Singh made her debut in a white bralette and ruffled cape; and model Urvashi Rautela’s crocodile necklace sparked some controversy. Beyond this, actor-director Nandita Das and director Vivek Agnihotri’s comments about the festival being more about fashion than about the films ruffled some feathers.
From ruffled gowns to ruffled feathers, we take a closer look at the fashion-vs-festival debate.
The Cannes Film Festival, known for celebrating the best of International cinema, has become synonymous with haute couture.
However, this phenomenon isn’t new. The red carpet has been used by attendees and designers for years to showcase their best.
Influencers at Cannes
The biggest bone of contention in 2023 seems to be influencers like Dolly Singh, Kusha Kapila and Ranveer Allahbadia aka Beer Biceps attending the event, despite having no links with the films being showcased.
Apart from them, boAt co-owner Aman Gupta walked the red carpet with his wife Priya Dagar, becoming arguably the first non-film Indian entrepreneur to do so.
What do these guys have to do with films or fashion? We don’t know either. Kusha and Dolly started out making relatable and humorous content. For years, their content wasn’t in any way synonymous with fashion. After brand deals started pouring in, their personas saw a massive glamour upgrade. Ranveer is popular for his podcast called The Ranveer Show, where he speaks on everything from spirituality to relationships to even Hitler.
A large section of Twitter users seemed flummoxed, if not wildly unhappy, at their presence.
20 Influencers, a Hitler apologist and a Shark Tank judge walk onto a red carpet.
— Kajol Srinivasan - New video on YouTube (@LOLrakshak) May 25, 2023
That's it. That's the joke.
The Indian representation at Cannes.
All for opportunities & representations but why are all these influencers parading at the Cannes ‘Film’ Festival? It’s looking like a big brand collab party with bad fashion, no art & pointless invitations
— ak (@rumandcokepls) May 21, 2023
It was bad enough that nobody talks about the films at Cannes & now you have 1001 influencers there too.
— Naomi Datta (@nowme_datta) May 23, 2023
PS - I love influencers. I love how self made they are, but I am not interested in them at the Cannes red carpet. They must go by all means if they want to.
Director Vivek Agnihotri had something to say too.
So sad to see the death of Cannes Film Festival. Most of these are not even actors or have any film showing at Cannes. Films are replaced with fashion. Actors with SM influencers. Film Journalism with… you know what…
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 22, 2023
And FILMMAKERS… who cares about them?
Om Shanti! pic.twitter.com/fBMdWF1sSE
Why Are Influencers There At All?
Influencers attend the Cannes Festival representing brands who sponsor the festival. They grab eyeballs while their over-a-million following creates a buzz.
However, an insight by some Twitter users points to whether this influencer-inviting exercise actually translates to anything concrete or not.
I understand the Cannes want to have influencers on the red carpet to be ‘Internet relevant’ but it’s a classic case of sacrificing an interesting value proposition for low impact distribution. Influencers get you eyeballs but at *what*? What’s the ROI?
— harnidh (@chiaseedpuddin) May 20, 2023
Additionally, given that anyone with a premium ticket (aka money) can attend the red carpet, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that several walking the red carpet actually have no links to films.
The festival is also about publicity, and that’s where the influencers play a part.
The bigger question surrounds whether being “trending” is all that matters in today’s world.
Fashion Stealing the Show
Beyond the critique of influencers walking the red carpet, another raging debate about how the festival has turned into a fashion show, where films are merely an afterthought.
Filmmaker Nandita Das put up an Instagram post talking about fashion seeming to have overtaken films.
View this post on Instagram
While influencers parading the carpet is new, Indian actors have been making headlines for years for it.
The media frenzy surrounding celebrity fashion, from dissecting every outfit to predicting trends, has often become more significant than the films themselves.
This year, film critic Sucharita Tyagi is attending Cannes, and has interviewed several directors whose films are being showcased, but her content has far fewer views and engagement as compared to the influencers or actresses at the event.
So what good does having influencers at the festival do? They create hype. That’s something indispensable in what Instagram influencer Diet Sabya calls the “business of fame”.
The “Business of Fame"
The other side of the argument is aptly summed up by Diet Sabya, an anonymous fashion and culture critique account.
The business side of things is evident in the fashion frenzy at Cannes. Designer labels and luxury brands use the festival as a marketing opportunity, with celebrities becoming brand ambassadors walking the red carpet. The paparazzi coverage, and social media buzz generated by these fashion moments have a tangible impact on brand visibility, and perhaps their sales too.
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