Shah Rukh Khan takes on Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan!

Rattled by the increase in the market share of rivals Motorola and Sony Ericsson, brands promoted by Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan respectively, Finnish cell phone giant Nokia has recruited Bollywood heavy weight Shah Rukh Khan to promote their products.

Shah Rukh is the most recognizable face in our country, more so than that of our Prime Minister and, by a much wider margin, than that of our President, who looks so much like a lot of aunties in my neighborhood.

While you may view that as a sad commentary on the state of our political leadership, corporate honchos with deep pockets and stunted imagination see it as an immense opportunity.

Shah Rukh probably rakes in more money through brand endorsements and product promotion these days than he does so by acting in films.

"Shah Rukh Khan represents youth, he is trendy and also tech savvy. He has been a Nokia user for the last ten years and hence, this association," explains Devinder Kishore, Director Marketing, Nokia India.

To begin with Shah Rukh will appear in a television commercial to go on air this week which was shot by Pradeep Sarkar, who directed films such as Parineeta and Laaga Chunari Me Daag.

The promo will show Shah Rukh on and off the sets, balancing his work and life by staying connected through his Nokia.

The television commercial will be followed by print ads.

Interestingly, Shah Rukh is not being immediately designated as the brand ambassador for Nokia. He will just promote the product.

Sawf News