थे सुच्सस ऑफ़ ‘दूकुदु’ स्पार्क्स ऑफ मोरे ‘अड़’ ओंस! - तिमेस ऑफ़ इंडिया
His comeback vehicle “Khaleja” might have been a dud, but even that didn’t dent Brand Mahesh Babu. The actor went on to sign three new endorsements — as varied as a jewellery line, a shampoo and a mobile service operator — in a span of one year, adding to his four other endorsements. While that was the case during his dry spell, the super success of “Dookudu” has spiked his brand value. According to reliable sources, the actor has been approached for endorsing two big international brands — one is a popular brand of men’s grooming products and the other is a footwear giant. Besides, the actor has also been considered by two automobile makers.
Confirming the news, but refusing to divulge more information, Mahesh Babu’s wife, Namrata Shirodkar says, “Mahesh has been approached by a lot of new brands, both international and national, but he has not signed on the dotted line yet. It’s too early to talk about it. Also, endorsements don’t work like films… They like to keep things under wraps because the surprise element is crucial to the ad’s success. And that’s exactly why I cannot reveal much.”
Going by earlier reports however, Mahesh’s endorsement earnings in a year had crossed 25 crore. Now, his current success has his market value soaring. Namrata agrees that the film has had a positive impact with even Bollywood noticing him, but adds that Brand Mahesh was always popular in the South. “It’s an uncommon phenomenon, but Mahesh’s popularity has never been dictated by the success of his films. According to endorsers’ popularity polls and surveys, Mahesh has the highest fan following within the five to 50 years age group in the state and in Southern India. They love him unconditionally and that’s why, no matter what his career graph looks like, he is the most popular star amongst a cross section of people in the South,” she sums up.
jemima.margaret@timesgroup.com
