‘Please don’t refer to me as a random celebrity’: Kusha Kapila responds to ‘influencer shade’ at Cannes 2025
Kusha Kapila was recently singled out in a meme implying she was just another influencer crashing the red carpet at Cannes 2025, here's what she said
The 78th Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, and this year, it's raining South Asian excellence on the red carpet. From Laapataa Ladies (2023) star Nitanshi Goel making her dazzling debut, to Indian films like Tanvi the Great and Homebound preparing for their international premieres (with a little backing from cinema royalty Martin Scorsese, no less), it's safe to say — Indian cinema is having a moment.
But just as the glitter settles and the flashbulbs cool down, a little controversy has popped up in the influencer corner of the Croisette. And at the centre of it is none other than Indian content creator and entrepreneur Kusha Kapila.
What happened?
A reel made its way onto Instagram, aiming to poke fun at influencers attending Cannes. It used a satirical scene from the American comedy series The Studio, featuring Seth Rogen and Catherine O’Hara, to throw shade at content creators who show up, pose, and vanish without stepping foot inside a screening. The voiceover snarkily hinted that many of these so-called influencers are just there for the 'Gram, not the gala. But things took a turn when the reel used a 2023 image of Kusha Kapila, who had attended Cannes last year, without any context, implying she too was just a red carpet tourist.
Never one to sit quietly in the back row, Kusha hopped into the comments section and delivered a masterclass in respectful, no-nonsense rebuttal. She clarified that not only did she attend a screening (The Idol, to be precise), she endured two episodes of the much-criticised show and even posted a brutally honest review.
“And yes,” she added for the sceptics, “I posted pictures and stories from inside the screening so no, I didn’t just exit from the red carpet.” But Kusha didn’t stop there. “Historically, companies HAVE sponsored celebrities and actors to walk the red carpet,” she explained. “Brands buy the ticket. Title sponsors have ambassadors. It’s not some new influencer gimmick.”
“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.”
So, while Cannes may be known for couture and cinema, this year it also brought us a different kind of spotlight moment — what do you think about this?
