Bollywood
'baadshah'
Shahrukh
Khan
has
been
roped
in
as
the
brand
ambassador
of
West
Bengal
to
promote
the
state
and
attract
industrialists
to
invest
here.
According
to
the
CM's
press
adviser,
SRK
is
expected
to
build
'Brand
Bengal'
in
various
sectors
including
industry,
sports,
tourism,
art
and
culture.
A
positive
and
vibrant
image
of
the
state
will
be
created
through
a
series
of
campaigns
and
advertisements
fronted
by
the
46-year-old
actor,
the
sources
said.
“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," CMO
sources
told
PTI
today.
By
focusing
on
the
uniqueness
and
rich
legacy
of
the
state,
services
of
the
'Don' star
will
be
used
to
build
'Brand
Bengal'
in
various
sectors
including
industry,
sports,
tourism,
art
and
culture.
"We
are
discussing
things
at
a
preliminary
level
at
present.
We
will
soon
come
up
with
a
detailed
plan,"
CM's
press
adviser
Rhitobrata
Bhattacharya
said.
Even
though
cash-strapped,
the
state
government
has
been
trying
hard
through
a
series
of
initiatives
to
rope
in
industrial
investment.
"West
Bengal
is
my
second
home," Khan
had
proudly
written
to
Chief
Minister
Mamata
Banerjee
while
accepting
her
proposal
to
become
brand
ambassador
of
the
state
recently.
Ever
since
Shahrukh
Khan
bought
the
IPL
team
Kolkata
Knight
Riders
in
2008,
he
has
been
taking
special
interest
in
the
metropolis
and
never
misses
any
opportunity
to
fly
down
here.
He
is
already
a
brand
ambassador
to
a
number
of
Kolkata-based
companies
like
Emami
and
Concast
Group.
During
the
inaugural
function
of
the
17th
Kolkata
Film
Festival
here
on
November
10
last
year,
the
chief
minister
had
requested
the
superstar
during
a
tete-e-tete
to
be
the
face
of
West
Bengal,
to
which
he
had
immediately
agreed.
SRK
had
addressed
Banerjee
as
'Didi',
who
reciprocated
with
a
smile
and
called
him
her
brother.
The
trend
of
having
celebrities
as
brand
ambassadors
of
states
has
caught
up
in
the
last
few
years.
Megastar
Amitabh
Bachchan
has
lent
his
support
for
the
promotion
and
development
of
Gujarat,
while
Aamir
Khan
is
promoting
Indian
tourism
through
his
'Incredible
India'
campaign.