Kamal Haasan, one of the crown jewels of not just Tamil but Indian cinema, has made a grand entry into the world of advertising by endorsing textile retail giant Pothys Silks. In the TV advertisement, which is being seen as a coup of sorts for the retailer, Kamal calls Pothys as an ‘abhimanam’ (pride) of Tamil Nadu. The ad juxtaposes Kamal with Pothys, portraying them as two reliable brands which Tamil Nadu can take pride in.
The advertisement is creating headlines as Kamal Haasan has never been seen in any TV commercial before.
Though many have asked him, the actor has not told anyone why he opted to finally feature in a commercial advertisement. There has been buzz in the industry that the textile giant had been pursuing Kamal for more than two years, his daughter Shruti Haasan has been a Pothys brand ambassador.
The actor has however been part of various Public Service Announcements including an HIV awareness campaign in 2010 in which he talked about the stigma attached to HIV in the society.
Not just Kamal Haasan, his contemporary and superstar Rajnikanth too has stayed away from endorsements or lending his name for anything beyond his films and acting.
"The primary reason they stayed away is because they believed that if the audiences wished to connect with them, they should come to theatres. Becoming a daily phenomenon on TV would have lessened the star value and the intrigue. But today no one can ignore that actors need to be more in touch with audiences," an industry insider said.
Both, Kamal Hasan and Rajinikanth began their acting careers in the 70s and became well-known faces in the industry by the 80s but chose to stay away from endorsements.
Following in their footsteps, actor Ajith too has openly said that he does not believe in doing endorsements but works for social causes. He is the brand ambassador for Green Revolution (a Chennai-based organization promoting environmental cleanliness) and created the non-profit organization “Mohini-Mani Foundation”, to promote self-hygiene and civic consciousness.