FOR Salman Khan, the appointment as brand ambassador of the Indian Olympic team is one more step towards his rehabilitation. The big legal headache is over, though the black buck case still continues.
We love our filmstars and give them near divine status. They are thronged when they appear in public places and besieged for selfies. Some of them don’t mind giving autographs but are very uncomfortable with selfies; but that doesn’t stop fans from crowding around their favourite stars whenever they get an opportunity.
The Bollywood star today is more than just an actor. He/she is a powerful endorser of products too. Marketers have discovered that getting a star in the ad, promoting a product can have dramatically beneficial effects on sales. Most stars are used for mass products, because their appeal is widespread, but a few are selected for exclusive, luxury items, such as high-end watches and cars. Either way, it is the star’s image and persona that is leveraged to create an aura around the product.
What is Salman Khan’s persona? Depends whom you ask. To his fans, he is Bhai, a superstar who is a consummate entertainer with the common touch. Unlike his other colleagues, Salman Khan is not seen as remote, but in fact is considered accessible. He looks lovable and loving, who, despite not being married, is a family man. He is secular, celebrating every festival — look at the charities he funds.
To many others, Khan is someone who breaks the law and even though he was declared not guilty in the American Express case, in which his car ran over pavement dwellers, he has much to answer for. Plus, there is the black buck case that is still pending.
Should such a person be the brand ambassador for the Indian Olympic Team? Does he stand for the values that the Olympics stand for? Will the athletes who have worked hard to become part of the Indian Olympics contingent feel proud that he represents them? Indeed, what does Salman Khan bring to the table in this arrangement?
The government has not said anything about this, barring announcing his appointment, but one can assume that his glamour will enhance the appeal of the contingent. Since there is no particular “product” to sell, his job will presumably be to attract greater attention to our athletes.
India’s record at the Olympics is far from stellar and over the years, we have not produced any great sportspersons, barring the odd exception. Only now, with the advent of Abhinav Bindra, Vijender Singh, Mary Kom and others has India begun to make an impact on the games. Newer, younger names such as Dipa Karmarkar are emerging on the scene. But a large number of the contestants come back with nothing to show for it (a big contingent of officials too go for each Olympics, but that is a different story).
So will Salman Khan boost their morale? Or get them better facilities? Or convince sponsors to give them scholarships? All these questions remain unanswered.
Milkha Singh, the well known athlete, has made his feelings known and Gautam Gambhir too said that instead of Khan someone like Bindra would have been a much better choice. Salman Khan’s father Salim Khan hit out at Milkha Singh, declaring that a film made on him “resurrected you from fading into oblivion.” This was somewhat in bad taste, since there was no need to make it personal, but clearly the Khans were upset at criticism of the appointment.
Singh must have spoken for many others when he said, “It doesn’t make sense to appoint someone in this role. If an ambassador is required, we have many great sportspersons, like Sachin Tendulkar, P T Usha, Ajit Pal Singh, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.” On social media too the naming of Salman Khan as the brand ambassador has come in for a lot of criticism.
Bollywood celebrities are now the first choice of not just corporate houses but also the government, which keeps roping in stars to push their schemes. Aamir Khan was the brand ambassador for Incredible India but found himself out of it when he made remarks that the ruling establishment thought were critical of it. Amitabh Bachchan was the face of Gujarat tourism and there were recent rumours that he might even be nominated for President! True or not, the reports about his name cropping up in the Panama Papers have put an end to that speculation.
Now there are reports that all the three top Khans – Shahrukh, Aamir and Salman – will attend an event to celebrate two years of the Narendra Modi government; Bachchan will also be present. What is there to celebrate, the cynic might ask; in any case, every anniversary of a government cannot be an occasion for massive events. Most of all, a government which is under fire for not delivering on so many counts ought not to be spending time and effort in hosting jamborees with film stars. But again, here is one more example of how nothing can happen without the presence of Bollywood heroes and heroines.
For Salman Khan, the appointment as brand ambassador of the Indian Olympic team is one more step towards his rehabilitation. The big legal headache is over, though the black buck case still continues. Normally governments tend to steer away from controversial names but to the world – certainly to his fans – the fact that he has been appointed by the Union government is definitely a big plus in his favour. The naysayers can object, but the deed is done. Now, could Bhai inspire our sportspersons to do better and bring back more medals, please?
