May 22, 2025 12:23 PM IST

Actor-comedian Vir Das isn't holding back his thoughts on the film industry's snobbish attitude towards influencers at the Cannes Film Festival. He has slammed them, asking why do they get associated with them to promote movies then. ‘Please don’t refer to me as a random celebrity’: Kusha Kapila responds to ‘influencer shade’ at Cannes 2025

The actor-comedian took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his views over the whole debate around the presence of influencers at the Cannes Film Festival. He started the post by sharing how he works with upcoming designers for his outing at events on the global stage, such as the International Emmy Awards.

“Look. I work largely with new unknown designers. So I get the appeal and eyeballs that a red carpet brings. I also respect the hustle that it takes to get your ass there. It’s not for me, but I can respect the underdog energy,” Vir shared

Vir continued, “So all that being said….Can I just say…..’Film’ people who are upset with influencers at Cannes need to stop going on their podcasts and doing collabs to promote movies then. The feeling you get seeing them walk down the carpet with you in your domain, is the same feeling we get listening to your lame ass story about how you gave up sugar in their domain”.

“Consider the possibility that they may not be as well dressed as you, or as good looking as you, but are more interesting. Cannot believe I’m defending influencers but the elitism is off the hook,” he concluded.

Vir's remarks coincide with the ongoing debate about influencers attending the Cannes Film Festival, sparking discussions about their relevance and place among industry professionals. This year, Shalini Passi, Masoom Minawala, Parul Gulati, Sakshi Sindwani, Anushka Sen, Sarah Sarosh, Nitibha Kaul and Sakshi Sindwani made an appearance at the film gala.

In an interview with Zoom, Pallavi Joshi also reacted to the increasing number of influencers attending the Cannes Film Festival. She said, “I don’t mind influencers coming on the same pedestal as actors, but when it comes to film festivals, it is a place where films are celebrated. Hence, the writers, directors, actors, technicians, and all those who put films together have to be celebrated. Cinema is more important here.”