Uorfi Javed says attending Cannes isn't based on ‘merit’ after visa rejection: ‘Not an achievement, even for me’

Fashion enthusiast, Bigg Boss fame Uorfi Javed recently shared that walking the Cannes red carpet is ‘not an achievement’ unless someone's film is being premiered at the festival. In a long post, she explained how brands sponsor influencers or celebrities to attend the film festival in France. She added that people even buy tickets for the festival.

Uorfi Javed: Going to Cannes is not based on merit

Her revelations arrive after she shared that although she was set to make her debut at the Cannes Film Festival 2025, it did not happen due to permit issues. Her visa was rejected.

On Friday, Uorfi took to her Instagram Stories and wrote about Cannes. She said, "Going to Cannes is an opportunity which isn’t based on your merit. Brands buy tickets to the red carpet and give them to influencers/celebrities to represent the brand. Individuals can also buy tickets. Walking the Cannes red carpet is not an achievement, not even for me. It’s an opportunity to promote yourself. That’s the truth. Here I said it.”

“Unless you’re film is being premiered at the festival (yeah then it’s an achievement), other than that anyone can do it (if you have money or brands are ready to sponsor you)," she added.

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Uorfi Javed visa rejected ahead of Cannes debut

Previously, Uorfi, who was to attend the festival this year, had shared about her visa rejection and business failure.

She shared online: “I haven’t been uploading anything or been seen anywhere cause I was going through a phase. My business didn’t work. I tried a bunch of other different things only to face rejections.”

“Got an opportunity to go to Cannes through Indie Wild. (Big big thank you to diipa khosla and kshitij kankaria) But as the fate would have it, my visa got rejected. I’m sure a lot of you guys must be going through rejections yourself and I would love to know your stories. Let’s support and uplift each other. Every rejection is an opportunity if you look carefully. After so many rejections in life. I am not stopping and so should not you," she added.

Celebs from India attend Cannes Film Festival 2025

From India, several celebrities have made it to the Cannes Film Festival this year. This includes singer Aastha Gill, Laapataa Ladies fame Nitanshi Goel, Jacqueline Fernandez, Urvashi Rautela, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and Karan Tacker. Alia Bhatt was scheduled to make her debut on the red carpet this year as well. However, reports claimed that she might give it a miss in light of the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan.