Shahrukh Khan's Ad Campaign for Promoting Bengal Tourism Released

Shahrukh Khan is all set to promote tourism in West Bengal as the state's brand ambassador.

A two-minute promotional advertisement campaign, known as 'Bengal Leads', was released on Saturday and will hit TV screens in the coming days to attract investors and tourists to the state.

The video starts with a tune of Rabindranath Tagore's "Banglar Mati Banglar Jol" in the background with Shahrukh saying, "There is something special about Bengal".

The advertisement features scenic views of the mysterious Sunderbans, rich cultural heritage of Kolkata, Tagore's Santiniketan and religious sites like Dakshineswar and Belur Math.

"What's special about the SRK ad is that all the 'frames' and even the background were conceptualized by chief minister Mamata Banerjee," The Times of India quoted sources at the chief minister's office as saying.

National award-winning filmmaker Anirudhha Roy Choudhury directed the 'Bengal Leads' advertisement campaign and the music was composed by Shantanu Moitra.

Officials of the state information and cultural affairs department said that a positive image of Bengal will be created through a series of such ad campaigns featuring the actor, Press Trust of India reported.

Shahrukh was signed in as the state brand ambassador last year, and is apparently not charging any money for the promotional campaign. He had previously joked that "free fish fries were his fee."