Shah Rukh inks 12-crore deal

Big B stepped down

A few years back, Bachchan had endorsed the brand through corporate and product campaigns on television, print and outdoor medium alike.

Even this year the company had sketched out long-drawn plans to promote their new schemes and customer services with Bachchan. Sources reveal that a series of ad-films, which were to be shot in the last week of December, could not take off since Bachchan was admitted in the hospital for a surgery.

"It was really awkward for us to pester Mr Bachchan as he had worked with us before and we have pleasant memories of the earlier campaign. Seeing the inconvenience created, he opted out of his commitments giving us green signal to look for a replacement.

When we approached Shah Rukh he didn't make any bones about the fact that he was a replacement and readily agreed to help us," adds a senior general manager.

SRK charges a bomb

Shah Rukh Khan agreed to do the celebrity endorsement for a whopping amount of 12 crores. However, bank authorities are tight-lipped about the money involved in the bargain.

Adds a source, "It's quite natural that we are not going to get vocal about the price we had to pay in order to get Shah Rukh. But it's a good investment as his increasing global popularity will only add to our brand and help us to grow and make a global presence in the banking and finance sector."

The television commercial featuring the actor will go on air in February. "We have devised a very innovative commercial for this particular campaign. If you thought that the ads featuring Mr Bachchan were great, the ones with Shah Rukh are going to be incredible," adds a member of the advertising agency.