Cannes 2025: Did Urvashi Rautela bring a parrot to world's most-watched red carpet?

In an era of virality over subtlety, Rautela knows how to stay meme-relevant in Cinco gown

Last updated:
Manjusha Radhakrishnan (Entertainment Editor)
2 MIN READ
Urvashi Rautela
Urvashi Rautela
Instagram

Dubai: Is it fashion, performance art, or an elaborate troll bait? Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela, who has carved a niche for herself at Cannes as the queen of over-the-top fashion and even more exaggerated self-claims, turned heads (and sparked memes) on the Cannes 2025 red carpet with a crystal-studded parrot-shaped clutch.

The flamboyant handbag — reportedly worth a cool Dh20,592 — did not escape the collective eye-roll of the Internet.

One Instagram user put it best: “Moulin Rouge meets Mayur Vihar realness.” Another deadpanned, “Is this satire on camp or camp on satire?”

Rautela paired the glittering avian accessory with a Dubai-based designer Michael Cinco's structured gown in unapologetic shades of red, blue, and yellow, topped with a headpiece that some likened to “Jagran couture” — a nod to her now-iconic viral dance number Dabidi Dabidi from Daaku Maharaaj.

Fashion watchdog Diet Sabya, never one to miss a moment, reposted Urvashi’s look, inviting the usual onslaught of snark and speculation. Comments ranged from “Is she being ironic?” to “We want a performance to go with that bird.”

For years now, Urvashi has found herself at the center of online mockery, partly thanks to her grandiose claims in interviews — often presenting herself as the “first Indian actress to…” [insert dubious feat]. This year, it appears she might just be the first Indian celebrity to trend globally for wearing a bird.

But maybe that’s the plan?

In an era of virality over subtlety, Rautela knows how to stay meme-relevant. Whether that’s a PR strategy or pure delusion is still up for debate.

One thing’s clear: the parrot may not talk, but the Internet sure did.

Manjusha Radhakrishnan
Manjusha Radhakrishnan Entertainment Editor
Manjusha Radhakrishnan has been slaying entertainment news and celebrity interviews in Dubai for 18 years—and she’s just getting started. As Entertainment Editor, she covers Bollywood movie reviews, Hollywood scoops, Pakistani dramas, and world cinema. Red carpets? She’s walked them all—Europe, North America, Macau—covering IIFA (Bollywood Oscars) and Zee Cine Awards like a pro. She’s been on CNN with Becky Anderson dropping Bollywood truth bombs like Salman Khan Black Buck hunting conviction and hosted panels with directors like Bollywood’s Kabir Khan and Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. She has also covered film festivals around the globe. Oh, and did we mention she landed the cover of Xpedition Magazine as one of the UAE’s 50 most influential icons? She was also the resident Bollywood guru on Dubai TV’s Insider Arabia and Saudi TV, where she dishes out the latest scoop and celebrity news. Her interview roster reads like a dream guest list—Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan, Robbie Williams, Sean Penn, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Morgan Freeman. From breaking celeb news to making stars spill secrets, Manjusha doesn’t just cover entertainment—she owns it while looking like a star herself.
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