Does star power work for a state?

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SRK has become the brand ambassador of West Bengal

After Amitabh Bachchan promoting Gujarat tourism and culture, it’s now Shah Rukh Khan who has donned the mantle of an ambassador of West Bengal. “SRK will be the face of Bengal all over the country and even abroad. He will promote the state to bring in industrialisation and spur all-round growth,” an official was quoted as saying.
Sometime back, the Assam government announced that they were planning to rope in a Bollywood celebrity to promote tourism in the state. Bachchan and SRK have a strong fan base but have no connection with the respective states they are promoting. Does star power appeal more to the masses than a celeb’s connection to the roots of a state?
“It does,” says IT professional Satyajeet Rastogi, who thinks that in a celeb-obsessed country like India a big star would appeal to the masses more than anything else. “And in this case, SRK is a good choice as he has already made a space in Bengal with his IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders,” says Satyajeet.
However, there are some who wonder if these brand ambassadors will be able to answer queries about the traditions and culture of the state they are promoting. “It’s easy to become the face of a brand/state. But one can only be aware of the traditions rooted in the state if s/he belongs to that place. Or else, it would require a tremendous amount of reading and research to gain that knowledge. With their hectic schedules, our celebrities can hardly do that. I’m unsure if the celebs would be able to answer a question about the tradition or culture in public,” says hospitality professional Ashu Kansal.
There are some who think that a minister working towards the welfare and development of the state can promote his/her state really well. “If it comes to choosing the face of Delhi, I can think of no one but Shiela Dikshit. She has done so much for its development,” says Pratyush Kumar, an engineer.