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Southern babes grab big ads

BOLLYWOOD FAVES Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan aren't the only stars who can sell cars and soft drinks on national TV television. Southern hotties, Surya and Asin can do it too. So not only are south favourites bagging plum movie projects up north...

they're also becoming popular in the ad world.

South invasion

Leading the brigade is Tamil star Trisha, who's endorsing three prominent brands on national TV: a soft drink, a scooter and a chocolate, which featured Preity Zinta a couple of years ago.

"And she's done justice to all the brands. For example, Trisha promotes a scooter whose target audience is college-goers. And Trisha portrays their aspirations beautifully: she's bubbly, young and fun, and this has made the ad more authentic," says Prasad Narasimhan, vice-president, marketing, of the brand.

Surya, who's a hot fave down south, is also endorsing a leading bike on national prime time TV. "He's our brand ambassador in the south. And even though the national campaign is dubbed from the Tamil version, he's started getting national recognition," says Narasimhan.

He adds that the brand demanded someone who's macho with an appealing personality because those are the qualities associated with the bike. "And we felt Surya fit the bill. And the nation doesn't see Surya as a southern hero; he's a protagonist in the ad," he says.

Tamil actor Asin is also endorsing a soft drink with Zayed Khan. "She's beautiful, charming and vivacious, which symbolises the brand. And it's worked out very well," says ad man Dhunji Wadia, whose agency handles the soft drink account.