A look at young Bollywood stars and their brand appeal

Cashing in on their popularity, B-Town's under-30 brigade is raking in the moolah with loads of endorsements. From condoms to cars, the stars are lending their faces to up their brand value
Bollywood's young brigade has become valuable as brand ambassadors for products that are in demand by their fan group. So, while the stars that cater to the 30-plus group are getting their hands sticky with cooking oil and health supplements, the younger lot are lending their names to beauty products and cell phones.

Presently, Alia Bhatt leads the female pack as the most wanted in brand endorsements while among the male contingent, Ranveer Singh's condom campaign has attracted attention. Ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakar says, "Storytelling is the future of advertisements." While ad and theatre personality Rahul daCunha feels, "There cannot be a commercial with both a star and a story." Hitlist takes a look at stars and their brand appeal.

Deepika Padukone

Endorsements: Grooming, electronic, beverage, stationery, banking and financial brands 
Endorsement fee: Rs 6 crore (approx)
In short: Deepika acted in three films this year - Kochadaiiyaan, Finding Fanny and Happy New Year. The secret behind her large reservoir of energy may be due to endless cups of hot coffee, at least, that is what her choice of beverage endorsements highlight. There is no stopping her with the successful outcomes at the box-office and her choice to serve variety with quality that rubs off on the advertisement front, too.

Alia Bhatt

Endorsements: Clothing and grooming brands
Endorsement fee: Rs 1 crore (approx)
In short: According to ad films executive Aditya Akolkar, "Alia Bhatt is a brand in itself. She thought that Prithviraj Chavan was the President of India. Therefore, when Anushka Sharma embarrassed herself in Karan Johar's rapid-fire round, he termed her gaffe as an 'Alia Bhatt moment'. Akolkar feels that in the industry, any publicity is good publicity. "She still gets viral traction for her flawed general knowledge; thus every celebrity has their own unique selling point."

Parineeti Chopra

Endorsements: Clothing, grooming, food and electronics brand
Endorsement fee: Rs 1.5-2 crore (approx)
In short: This year has not been as successful as the last for Parineeti, but haven't the city's potholed roads taught us that life has its ups and downs? She still manages to bag endorsements that keep her in the public eye. The ad marketing guys still have utmost faith in her after her exceptional work in Ishaqzaade (2012), even though her colleagues are giving her a run for her money when it comes to the box office.

Anushka Sharma

Endorsements: Grooming, two-wheeler, beverage, telecommunication and electronics brands
Endorsement fee: Rs 3-4 crore (approx)
In short: Anushka has been in the news for her relationship with cricketer Virat Kohli and now for her upcoming film, PK. Her last B-Town outing was Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola in January 2013. So the actress must be commended for her appearances even when not on the silver screen. Thanks to the several advertisements that she gets offered, it is almost as if she's waiting for you to switch on the TV and once you do she drives by on a scooty, offers a cold drink and reminds you to apply face wash before you get to watch your favourite programme. On hindsight, she defines that thin line between being irritating and trying to be convincing.

Sonam Kapoor

Endorsements: Grooming, electronics, home decor and luxury brand
Endorsement fee: Rs 3.5-4 crore (approx)
In short: She is known for stepping out in designer wear more than her films. But DaCunha alleges, "You'll see that the stars that do advertisements are really the ones who are not doing well." In turn, to bag a good endorsement deal she will need to bag above average films.

By arrangement with Mid-Day.com