Hi Handsome Hi Handsome!

Man, I really don’t want to write a post about Shahrukh Khan again. Sigh.

Whats this one about?

Well…

OK, first of all, the concept of selling a whitening cream to insecure Indian males is brilliant. The advertisement itself is sort of retarded, but makes its point… The psychological impact of the advertisement to an insecure guy is basically “Maybe I’ll get more chicks if I was fairer.”

But what I couldn’t understand is why SRK is endorsing it.

What does an endorsement mean? It means that the celebrity concerned has used the product, likes it, and wants you to try it.

(Well, actually it means that the person got a bucketfull of cash to hold a bottle on TV. But the point remains.)

That’s why if Priety Zinta endorses a scooter in TV, there is an implicit understanding that she has driven the scooter, found it great and wants us to buy it. If Sushmita Sen advertises a shampoo, it means she uses it and wants us to use it as well.

And that’s the reason you don’t see celebrities endorsing Viagra. No one wants to admit he uses Viagra. Viagra endorsement comes from anonymous individuals, not celebrities. (Well, stupid celebrities are still around.)

I’m surprised that some a$$hole of a journalist hasn’t grabbed hold of this point. Here’s how an interview between a real a$$hole and Mr. SRK would go.

A: Hello Mr. Khan, how are you?

S: Hello. I’m fine.

A: Mr. SRK is here to talk about his new movie, XYZ.

S: Yeah, I’m really excited…

A: Hey, could you wait a minute? I want to ask you something really important.

S: Er… of course. Go ahead.

A: (Produces bottle of fairness cream) Why are you endorsing this product?

S: Because its a good product. I like it and trust it.

A: Really? So you admit that you use it?

S: <<Eerie moment of clarity>>

(15 seconds pass)
(SRK looks desperately at the camera, which is going LIVE)
(10 seconds pass)

S: Er… No, I don’t.

A: So why are you endorsing it? Aren’t you misleading your fans?

S: No, I like and trust the company and am sure they will not make a faulty product.

A: You’re sure? You’re sure? Are you f#cking kidding me? You’re misleading billions of people! How are you qualified to endorse a product without using it?

S: Er… wait a second…

A: I mean, WTF? I spent my money on this. My son is dark-skinned. I bought three hundred bottles because I’m your fan! I make him take a bath in it every morning! And I thought he’ll become fairer because you said so! But if he doesn’t all my money has gone to waste!

S: Er… no, he’ll get fairer. I promise.

A: And what guarantee do I have for that? How are you qualified to say that? You haven’t tried it. You said so yourself.

S: The company promises…

A: The company promises anyway, without your involvement. What is the role of your endorsement then?
(SRK self combusts)

Final score: a$$hole 1, SRK 0

.

The only real solution SRK has is to admit that he uses the cream. I don’t think he’d like to do that, but we all need to make difficult choices in life.