Prerna body beautiful way to money

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Jassi, Prerna body beautiful way to money

VIVEAT SUSAN PINTO & ROUHAN SHARMA

Posted online: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 at 0136 hours IST

Updated: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 at 1502 hours IST

MUMBAI, JUNE 5: The rise of television has meant the rise of TV stars too. More than just eye-candy in TV commercials, Tulsi, Prerna, Parvati, Jassi, Rishab and many more of their small-screen ilk are not only raking in the moolah for themselves, but are proving to be beneficial to a host of advertisers.

Mona Singh (Jassi), for instance, endorses brands such as Coca-Cola, Priya Gold Biscuits, Godrej Soap, Bausch & Lomb among others, and drawing anywhere between Rs 15-30 lakh on each endorsement.

Shweta Tiwari (Prerna) has the biggest body of work so far, endorsing products as diverse as Johnson & Johnson, Dabur Amala, Vardhman Knitting Yarn, Surya Bulbs & Tubes, PP Jewellers, and even edibles such as Lijjat Papad.

While Singh and Tiwari are contracted for amounts in excess of Rs 10 lakh, industry estimates are that most endorsements range between Rs 2-10 lakh. Jassi further reveals that her contracts extend for over a year. Most deals, however, are for shorter periods. According to producer Pintoo Guha of Film Farm, TV stars are an attractive draw for advertisers since they are available for lesser amounts than their big-screen counterparts. "Moreover, they have a huge fan following and are instantly recognisable faces," he adds. Barring Tiwari and Singh, who are breaking clutter with premium brands, most celebrities endorse mass products, or, what observers describe, as "B&C class brands".

"They are not your upscale products," says Guha. "Something that an Amitabh Bachchan or Shahrukh Khan may endorse, for example."

There are exceptions to the rule, though. The big bahu of television soap operas, Smriti Irani, who plays Tulsi (Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi), and Mona Wasu, who plays the lead role of Miilee (Milee), were recently seen on Star Plus in a series of advertisements endorsing the state of Kerala as a tourist destination.

The team at STAR did all the creative and the conceptualisation after the Kerala Tourism Board approached him or her for the assignment. Ad-filmmaker Abishek Acharya too has recently finished work on a commercial for Prestige Pressure Cooker featuring actor couple Archana Puran Singh and Parmeet Sethi. The commercial is scheduled to go on air shortly. "The script for the commercial was written keeping in mind a comic couple," he says. "Archana and Parmeet fit the bill," he adds.

Edited by anishma24 - 19 years ago