2012 and Vidya Balan have ensured that Bollywood actresses continue to have last laugh at box office in India. With Indian actresses finally coming to their own in a male dominated industry, we have seen a slew of brands going for actresses as their brand ambassadors in categories where men have been first choice for some time now, like Panasonic choosing Katrina Kaif, Canon for Anushka and Samsung for Priyanka.
The space undoubtedly is going to get tougher (and hotter) with times to come. There’s nothing better than seeing these damsels slug it out on TV, and watch who will go on to become the queen of endorsements. But, who are the contenders?
Katreena Kaif – Probably the deal-clincher of 2012. She is the seductress of Aamsutra, the face of Panasonic and the showstopper of Veet.
Kareena Kapoor – Somewhere Kareena has not taken her endorsements seriously. After dabbling with Airtel with Saif, Kareena is finally arriving in the ad space. She has looked stunning in Alpenlibe and Limca ad though the storylines could have been better. However, my Kareena favourite would be her Sony Vaio ad.
Anushka Sharma – Anushka has been the surprise so far, with Canon Powershot advert. Hip, happening, colourful, young and jazzy, it has all the elements of Anushka.
Priyanka Chopra – Priyanka Chopra hasn’t set the TV on fire so far like she has done in films. Perhaps, she’s a bit underused. Bru, Samsung, Garnier – none of the brands have utilised the brilliance of Chopra the actress.
The underdogs: Other actresses in fray such as Bipasha Basu (Reebok), Sonam Kapoor (l’oreal, Mount Blanc), Asin (Mirinda) would need to raise their equity and go beyond their typecast roles to land more deals. I yearn to see Vidya Balan in the ad space, especially post The Dirty Picture and Kahaani success.