MUMBAI – He has just delivered a box-office biggie with Housefull 2. And even before Akshay Kumar’s next, Rowdy Rathore, releases, the actor seems to have hit bull’s eye in a different arena — the ad world. Apparently, Akki has inked a heavy-duty endorsement deal —worth about Rs. 50 crore — as the brand
“Akshay has been paid a whopping amount. He is contractually bound to not speak about it until the firm makes an official announcement. But if we go into details, his yearly pay cheque would be around Rs. 9.5 crore. Honda motorcycle is confident about his mass appeal and that’s why they have struck this deal,” says an insider from Akki’s team.
Akshay’s latest exploit in the ad arena places him on top of the star endorsement list. He has brushed past Aamir Khan who, as per industry estimates, charges around Rs. 9 crore per year. Incidentally, Salman Khan is believed to have pocketed around Rs. 7 cr to endorse a energy supplement brand recently.
AkshayAkshay, on his part, remains non-committal. “Right now, I have nothing to say. It’s too early to comment,” he says. But trade experts such as Taran Adarsh are hardly surprised: “With every box-office hit, an actor raises his/her price for movies and endorsements. Since Akki is already a huge star, the premium for being associated with big-ticket films has to be higher.”
Last month, a famous cola brand that Akshay endorsed for over eight years, refused to renew his contract after his lacklustre phase in Bollywood. But his recent success made the company approach him again.
When contacted, Vibhuti Dimri from Honda said: “Nothing is confirmed as of now. We will make an official announcement as soon as deal is struck.”
Ad-guru Prahlad Kakkar, however, insists this isn’t news for him. He says, “Akshay is possibly the biggest massy star right now. If the company plans to target the middle-class, no one can be better than Akki.”
