New Delhi: Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan shares the spotlight with cricketers Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Taniya Bhatia and Shafali Verma in a new ad that ends with the actor seeking their autograph.
The ad for Hyundai Alcazar was released Monday. It’s SRK’s first ad after months of keeping a low profile following his son Aryan Khan’s release in an alleged drugs-related case on 30 October.
SRK has been silent on social media since Aryan’s 22-day stint in jail. The last time SRK was seen on-screen was in a Cadbury’s Diwali-themed ad released in late October.
While one of SRK’s most popular roles saw him coach the women’s hockey team in Chak De! India, the ad sees SRK take the backseat to the cricketers even as he plays chauffeur.
The 2-minute-long advert begins by showing the four cricketers waiting for a vehicle to pick them up. Their surprise is hard to hide when a vehicle — Hyundai’s new offering — arrives and out steps SRK.
Over the better part of the ad, the cricketers and SRK dwell on the many features of the car.
When they reach the destination, as the cricketers get ready to leave, Khan asks: “Aren’t you girls forgetting something?” When they ask what, he says, “Your autographs.” The girls then sign their autographs on a bat.
The ad has received an enthusiastic response from SRK fans, with some speculating if his look — a light beard, slickly gelled hair tied at the back — could be from his upcoming film Pathan.
Just a glimpse of SRK’s Pathan look in the new ad of Hyundai. Imagine the euphoria when the official look of @iamsrk as #Pathan will be revealed. pic.twitter.com/jw9Yq8coep
— JUST A FAN. (@iamsrk_brk) January 15, 2022
Others, meanwhile, were bowled over by the fact that SRK was promoting women’s cricket, and that the cricketers had more dialogues than he did.
Even in his latest ad for Hyundai, SRK is promoting the INDIAN WOMEN’s cricket team and giving them more dialogue space than he has! pic.twitter.com/YkVaqR98yA
— Amy Stone (@AmyStone2022) January 15, 2022
Khan has been a brand ambassador of Hyundai for over two decades. His first ad with Hyundai was for its Santro model in 1998.
According to a LiveMint report, Tarun Garg, director (sales, marketing & service) at Hyundai, was quoted as saying in a statement that “with our latest campaign, Hyundai has engaged its young and inspiring corporate brand ambassadors – Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Taniya Bhatia and Shafali Verma along with Shah Rukh Khan, to showcase the many unique and aspirational elements of Alcazar in thought-provoking series of events”.
“As a youth centric brand, the new campaign showcases millennial preference for innovative new age technology and Hyundai’s commitment to deliver the best through its world-class products,” he added.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)