In what’s being referred to as “The Great Parrot Heist of 2025”, Bollywood star Urvashi Rautela showed up at the 78th Cannes Film Festival with an unplanned plus-one: a live rainbow macaw sitting on her $2M diamond-encrusted glove. The bird, who goes by “Coco Chanel” on her Instagram stories, was the festival’s first non-human influencer in minutes.
Anatomy of a Viral Moment
The Accessory: 24-inch scarlet macaw (protected species permit on display)
The Gown: Gold “Cinco de Mayo” themed train that needs 3 handlers
The Hashtag: PollyWantAnOscar goes viral worldwide in 17 languages
Why It Worked:
– Stole the show from Zendaya’s AI dress and Timothée’s naked tux
– Parrot complemented her emerald choker (trained to say “Slay!”)
– Animal rights groups oddly silent – bird reportedly earns more than Bollywood character actors
