After filling up billboards with one of the world's most flawless faces, Kalyan Jewellers has found its next muse in Bollywood's fahionista Sonam Kapoor. The "Neerja" actress replaced Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, ending the latter's three-year stint with the brand.
"We would like to thank Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for augmenting the product propositions of brand Kalyan over the last three years and helping Kalyan establish itself as a leading national brand," Ramesh Kalyanaraman, executive director, marketing and operations, Kalyan Jewellers, told the Press Trust of India.
He further elaborated it was Sonam's popularity that would help the company strengthen its future campaigns. "We welcome Sonam Kapoor and are confident that her status as a style icon and popularity will strengthen future product campaigns of Kalyan Jewellers," he said. Sonam will endorse the brand's gold and diamond range.
The opportunity to be the face of Kalyan Jewellers comes roughly a year after Sonam expressed her love for jewellery on the sidelines of India International Jewellery Week 2015. She had told Indo-Asian News Service it was a great investment and looking good in them came as a bonus. "I have more knowledge of jewellery as an industry now. It's beneficial for us and for the country to promote jewellery as an industry."
The replacement may come as a rude shock to the former beauty queen's fans, but shouldn't impact the camaraderie Aishwarya and Sonam share. They apparently had fun shooting for a L'Oreal Paris commercial with Katrina Kaif in the frame.
On the work front, Sonam is on board sister Rhea Kapoor's production, which is to be helmed by "Khoobsurat" director Shashanka Ghosh. Interestingly, it's an ensemble cast and she's not at the centre of it. "For me, the interest level in a character is not dictated by the number of scenes in which I am visible," the Asian Age quoted her as saying.
Meanwhile, Aishwarya has wrapped up a schedule of "Sarbjit." Directed by Omung Kumar, the film is scheduled for a May 20 release.
