Too Hot To Handle

BIPS would never have imagined that her dusky complexion and sexy image would cost her an endorsement. But that's what happened after the actress was signed as brand ambassador by a jewellery brand.

Soon after, they did an about turn — apparently because she was too hot for the job — and replaced her with the married and fair-skinned Karisma Kapoor.

Says Gautam Rajadhyaksha, ad man and photojournalist, "Having wicked sultry looks is well-accepted today and is not considered a drawback. But there are some constraints when your target audience is a conservative, middle class woman. Obviously we can't have Bipasha or Mallika playing Lalitaji and selling washing powder. It has to be someone closely resembling a housewife."

Celebrity photographer Dabboo Ratnani agrees, saying advertisers look for a lower glam quotient if they're reaching out to a middle class audience. "If a company wants to sell agarbatti, pressure cookers or a cooking range, it wouldn't want a model the audience associates with miniskirts and bikinis. The process of shortlisting faces for a campaign depends on the product and the demand for it," says Dabboo, who has also shot ads for a cellphone company with Malaika Arora Khan, for a watch company with Twinkle Khanna, and for a jewellery line and an automobile company with Sania Mirza.

But the photographer also says image shifts are possible. "I've worked with Sania for an automobile ad and she had to wear tennis shorts and look sporty. But then she endorsed a traditional jewellery line for which she had to look ethnic, which she did, carrying it off confidently. I know Bips from her modelling days and I'm sure she's flexible and versatile enough to carry off an Indian look. So, I believe an image makeover can solve the problem. The audience will see what we want to show them and that's our job," explains Dabboo.

It's all in the mind, believes model Indrani Dasgupta, who has been endorsing a cosmetic brand. "The general notion is that a model's job is to look good and those who have a little more to offer are categorised as being sexy. And today, being sexy is associated with getting jobs or selling products," explains Indrani. Did her sexy image ever come in the way of her career? "My curly hair, dimples and dusky looks have always been my assets," she says.