Tamannaah Bhatia's ₹6.2 crore deal as brand ambassador of Mysore Sandal Soap gets backlash; Karnataka minister defends

The Karnataka government appointed Tamannaah Bhatia as the brand ambassador for Mysore Sandal Soap, a move defended by Minister MB Patil.

Actor Tamannaah Bhatia has been roped in by the Karnataka government as the brand ambassador for Mysore Sandal Soap in exchange for a ₹6.20 crore deal for two years. However, the move has been met with backlash, with people questioning why a Kannada actor wasn’t roped in. MB Patil, Minister for Commerce & Industries, Infrastructure GoK, defended the decision. (Also Read: First AI film in Kannada was made by a priest on ₹10 lakh budget in 6 months, with no actors or crew; here's how)

Tamannaah Bhatia has been appointed by the Karnataka government as the brand ambassador for Mysore Sandal Soap.

Tamannaah Bhatia appointed as brand ambassador of Mysore Sandal Soap

On Thursday, a notification issued by the Karnataka state government naming Tamannaah the brand ambassador for Mysore Sandal Soap did rounds online. It mentions that she will be paid ₹6.20 crore for being the ambassador for 2 years, as confirmed by Money Control.

For the unversed, Mysore Sandal Soap has been manufactured since 1916 after King of Mysore, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV set up a government-run soap factory in Bengaluru in the early 1900s. The soap, manufactured by Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), holds cultural significance in Karnataka.

The notification issued appointing Tamannaah Bhatia as brand ambassador of Mysore Sandal Soap.

Internet questions why no Kannada actor as brand ambassador

As soon as the news broke, X (formerly Twitter) was filled with queries as to why the government did not appoint a Kannada actor for the role. “Many Kannada actress itself were there why pay for an outsider,” questioned one X user, another wrote, “why not our own Rukmini vasanth?” One person asked, “Why not Pranita? ,her homely looks and Native kannada speaker & also well known face in telugu states & TN along with Karanataka.” Another questioned, “we had many kannada actress. should have given them the opportunity to present home brand @iamRashmika @SrinidhiShetty7.”

Minister explains why Tamannaah Bhatia was brought on-board

Responding to a query why a Kannada actor like Ashika Ranganathan wasn’t considered, MB Patil wrote, “KSDL has deepest respects and regards for Kannada Film Industry. Some Kannada Movies are giving competition to even Bollywood movies. Mysore sandal has a very good brand recall within Karnataka. Which shall be strengthened.”

He added, “However the intent of Mysore Sandal is to also penetrate markets beyond Karnataka Aggressively. The pride of Karnataka is also a Jewel of the Nation. Hence it’s an independent strategic decision of the PSU board after consulting various marketing experts.”

Explaining why Tamannaah was chosen, he wrote, “To choose a brand ambassador it takes a lot of deliberation and also considerations like 1) Availability for any given category(If they have a non compete agreement) 2)Social media presence 3)Most importantly coherence with the brand, product and Target Audience 4)Marketing fit and Reach. Our Vision is for KSDL to touch 5000Cr Annual Revenue by 2028.”