Last week, in a live show in Delhi, comedian Russel Peters joked about how Bollywood was all about looks and less about acting. He made it a point to speak about the extremely beautiful former Miss World who is all wooden and terrible as an actress.
So today when I read the news that Kareena Kapoor is being paid a whopping 5 crore rupees to endorse a soap (Vivel) and 7 crores to endorse junk food (Kurkure). The article also points out that Kareena is the highest paid actress in Bollywood.
I guess this proves the fact that in Bollywood (and Marketing) we pay more for looks, than talent. Take Priyanka Chopra, Rani Mukherjee, or Preity Zinta for example. I think they are far superior to Kareena (who is also better than Aishwarya) when it comes to acting and talent.
But Kareena takes the cake – albeit this time a cake of soap and the entire bakery (brand). Not surprising therefore, Mallika Sherawat reportedly got paid 3.5 crores for an ad, and Katreena, Aishwarya, Priyanka, Preity and Rani follow in that order… although personally, I would put my top dollar on Priyanka any day!
Admittedly, Bollywood (and the Indian public) has always chosen form over substance. Now brand managers and account planners have chosen to walk the same path, with their trademark creative laziness added in double measure. Not only are we choosing “endorsement over idea” we are also looking at loads of “oomph instead of script”
So while Russel Peters may have joked about the subject, the truth is no laughing matter.
Also check out: Top Bollywood Male Brand Ambassadors & CEO Brand Endorsers – Main Hoon Na!
