Cannes 2026 | What It Takes For an Indian Celebrity to Pull Off a Red Carpet Appearance

The photographs may seem glamorous at Cannes, but the reality behind them is usually one missed meal, three outfit changes, a broken zip and someone sprinting through the French Riviera looking for safety pins.  

Between fittings, flashbulbs, traffic jams and back-to-back events, the teams behind India’s celebrity appearances at the festival are running on adrenaline, caffeine and instinct. Stylists become crisis managers, make-up artists work against the humidity, and publicists juggle schedules that change by the hour. The glamour is real, but so is the chaos.  

Here’s what it actually takes to get a star from the hotel room to the red carpet at the world’s biggest film festival.

Tanya Ghavri, Stylist

On Ground With: Tara Sutaria (2026) 

Walk us through a typical day for you at the Cannes Film Festival. You start your day with back-to–back fittings and appointments. There are also amazing showrooms at Cannes so a lot of researching, referencing, with quick meals in between and a walk by the water at some point. If you have an event with the celebrity in the evening, you get them ready, get pictures taken, select and edit them. There are many parties and after parties too, but if you’re here for work, you have dinner and head to bed.  

What can you tell us about Sutaria’s looks? The first one was a beautiful Helsa ’50s-style dress which we styled with vintage beads in her hair, vintage earrings, YSL sunglasses, Jimmy Choo heels and a Lady Dior bag. [The second one was] a corseted femme fatale Rhea Costa look with gloves. We ended with her evening gala look, inspired by Elizabeth Taylor. An emerald and diamond neckpiece and matching earrings and a ring from Messika for a corseted, classic Vivienne Westwood gown. We made a beautiful stole to wear with. Our theme for her was old-world charm, because when I’m hanging out with Tara, she feels like she's from that time. 

How far back do you plan the looks? Usually, four or five months. But Tara decided and was confirmed to attended only by 25 April, so we had 10 days to put everything together, which was crazy. That’s why we couldn’t make custom pieces. The most stressful part is the logistics; especially to make sure all the pieces come in on time. I didn’t have an assistant, so I was doing everything, looking into the styling, hair and make-up, jewellery security and making sure Tara felt comfortable. It's stressful but also very fulfilling.  

Ever had a last-minute crisis to solve? Tara was wearing white, so obviously the gown was not in its most pristine condition throughout. We had to fix it before she went for a gala. In the past, I styled Katrina [Kaif] once and the zip snapped right before she was to walk out the door, so we had to stitch her into the gown. Tara and I spoke about it; it really takes a village to put a look together. 

What’s one misconception about working at the festival? You see many people from India wearing big, voluminous gowns with massive trails, and it’s very over-the-top. But look back at the [now 79] years of Cannes, it’s supposed to be a very elegant, sophisticated and understated red carpet. European and Hollywood actors still maintain that. It's not a costume gala. Over the years Cannes has gotten a bit lost and more into fashion and brands, but at its core it’s always going to be about the movies.

Maria Asadi, Make-up Artist

On Ground With: Diana Penty (2026)

Walk us through a typical day for you at the Cannes Film Festival. It starts early with skin prep, fittings, and coordinating timings with stylists, publicists and teams. Then glam begins and once the client leaves for the carpet, there’s another event, dinner, press appearance, or after-party to prep for straight after. Moving between hotels, suites and venues across the city, all while carrying the full kit and adapting to changes on the go. Also, not forgetting to eat! 

What can you tell us about creating Penty’s look? Cannes is very specific because the looks need to translate beautifully in person, with flash photography, and across international press all at once. We focused on glowing skin, refined structure, and making elevated but still authentic to her. I went for a Fierce Merlot smokey eye and put a hint of bronze on the eyelid. 

How far back do you plan the looks? Much later than people think. A lot of it comes together roughly seven days before, sometimes even less. The biggest challenge is unpredictability. New events, schedules, brand partnerships, and appearances get added last minute; timings constantly shift, and you’re navigating traffic, security, hotel changes, fittings, and glam all happening at once. Sometimes just getting from one hotel to another can become a major operation. 

Ever had a last-minute crisis to solve? Of course. Humidity, heat, rushing between locations, wardrobe changes, or even someone accidentally touching the make-up can all happen minutes before stepping onto the carpet. But part of being experienced in this industry is staying calm under pressure and knowing how to fix things very quickly without making the client feel stressed. 

What’s one misconception about working at the festival? That everything is incredibly glamorous and perfectly organised behind the scenes. It’s actually very fast-paced, intense and sometimes quite chaotic. People see the final image, but behind that, there are teams moving at lightning speed to make everything happen.

Tamanna Punjabi, Consultant, Think Ink Communications

On Ground With: Huma Qureshi (2026) 

Walk us through a typical day for you at the Cannes Film Festival. The day at Cannes starts earlier than people think, around 7AM. No two days are the same, but it’s a beautiful mix of chaos, fashion, adrenaline, changing schedules, fittings, transport, shoots, and stunning views. Many things happen at the same time, so we’re always on our feet, balancing glamour with an almost military level of coordination. For me, there’s magic in the unpredictability of it all. You could start the day in a hotel room discussing hemlines and end it by walking into a premiere with photographers screaming your talent’s name. 

⁠How do you plan the schedule for your talent? We planned the days for Huma Qureshi around the screening schedules, media windows, glam timings, travel logistics, and even how crowded the red carpet was expected to be. It’s important to protect her (and our own) energy so it's not overwhelming. It's also important for her to be able to savour the moment, and it has to be fun at the end of it all! 

What’s one misconception about working at the festival? There's a lot of sleep lost in trying to make every appearance look effortless. But you spend so much time together as a team that we felt like family in just a few days.  

Ever had a last-minute crisis to solve? Huma was wearing a Banarasi saree and at the last minute, we had to change the place where she was to get ready because of the traffic jams. We had all the things we needed (or so we thought); steamer, outfit, jewellery. But we reached and then realised that we forgot safety pins! I went downstairs to buy some, but nobody understood what I meant, so I was miming a safety pin to strangers in the middle of the French Riviera. Eventually, a kind Indian gentleman understood me and said he had some at his hotel nearby. 

⁠What’s a dream-come-true moment you had there? It reminded me that cinema unites people. Cannes feels like the world looking up from their phones to celebrate and enjoy it.

Sheldon Santos, Photographer 

On Ground With: Karan Johar (2025)

Walk us through a typical day for you at the Cannes Film Festival. My mind is constantly working looking for frames and spotting locations. If it’s an early start, around 7 or 8AM, I’ll head straight to the hotel where Karan Johar is getting ready. We begin with a quick catch-up, it's important to keep the artist comfortable and informed, because the best images come when the person in front of the camera feels at ease. Before the main shoot, I’ll step out with my camera and ask one of my teammates to test a few frames and get a sense of the light and the mood. Once the shoot is done, it’s straight into shortlisting and finalising images for submission. And then I finally get to enjoy Cannes walking around, meeting people, grabbing lunch or sometimes even an Aperol in the sun. 

What’s most difficult about photographing celebrities at Cannes? There’s a lot of pressure that comes with photographing celebrities at Cannes because the stakes are high and there’s little room for error. Every image has to be technically accurate, perfectly in focus, well lit, and visually strong. What makes it more challenging is that I’m operating as a one-man army there, holding the camera in one hand, a flash in the other, a 10-12 kg camera bag on my back, while trying to get every technical detail right.  

Has social media changed how you shoot there? There’s definitely a race to be the first to post. Especially when you’re competing with paparazzi images that start circulating almost instantly. Social media has also changed the way I frame and shoot photographs technically. A lot of the time, I’m already thinking about crops while taking pictures. 

What’s one misconception about working at the festival? How fast everything moves at Cannes. Sometimes you’re finding a location, testing light, shooting, reviewing images, and rushing back for submissions all in one tiny window of time. People also don’t realise how unpredictable the environment can be. The weather changes constantly, locations get crowded within seconds. And you’re walking almost the entire day, carrying heavy equipment, navigating crowds, climbing stairs, chasing light, and mentally staying switched on all the time because inspiration can hit you while you’re walking down the street. What’s also special but not always visible online, is how collaborative the entire process is. It’s built on trust between the artist, stylist, make-up and hair artists, managers, and the photographer. When everyone is in sync, that’s when magic happens. 

What’s your coolest Cannes story? The last look of the day, the sun had almost set, and Karan sir was wearing this stunning red suit for an evening dinner party. While we were heading there, I casually asked him, “What if we just shoot this look while walking through the crowd?” And we just went completely into the zone. My only brief to him was to keep walking and give me this high-energy, slightly rushed, powerful attitude almost like the entire Cannes crowd had somewhere to be because KJ Sir was walking through.