BENGALURU: The decision to sign on actress Tamannaah Bhatia for an eye-popping fee of Rs 6.2 crore as brand ambassador of the iconic Mysore Sandal Soap by Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL) has sparked an uproar in the state.
Tamannaah (35), predominantly an actress in Tamil and Telugu movies, pipped the likes of Deepika Padukone, Pooja Hegde and Rashmika Mandanna to the post for a two-year period. Social media slammed the State government for the the move and the leaders of Kannada film industry joined in the protest.
Industry Minister MB Patil, however, defended the decision and said they wanted to reach markets beyond Karnataka. Patil said the decision was a well-researched move. “Selecting a brand ambassador involves extensive deliberations,’’ the minister said.
Speaking to TNIE, film producer SA Chinne Gowda, who also served as President of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), said that Kannada cinema has best actors and actress who have pan-India appeal. “In spite of that, by bringing in someone from outside Karnataka, shows their disrespect to the language,’’ he said.
When netizens slammed the State government tagging MB Patil, Patil in his ‘X’ handle wrote, “Mysore Sandal has a very good brand recall within Karnataka which shall be strengthened. However the intent of Mysore Sandal is to also penetrate markets beyond Karnataka.”
Independent decision
Patil said it was an independent decision of the PSU board after consulting various marketing experts.
“There are various factors at play such as availability for any given category (If they have a non-compete agreement), social media presence, most importantly coherence with the brand, product and target audience and marketing fit and reach,” the minister said.
Patil said that in previous financial year, KSDL business was Rs 1,785 crore. Of this, 18 per cent is from Karnataka, remaining is from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
“We want to reach Rs 5,000 crore by 2030, for which we need good marketing. Tamannaah has an impressive digital reach with 2.8 crore followers,’’ he said.
It's not for the first time KSDL has brought in noted personalities from outside Karnataka. In 2006, it had signed a contract with cricketer MS Dhoni for two years but the move had ended in a legal battle which the KSDL lost.