Nargis Fakhri, an American fashion model who made her Bollywood debut with Rockstar, bagged three endorsement deals worth about Rs 9 crore even before her first film released on Friday, creating a record of sorts.
Fakhri has agreed to sign deals to endorse apparel brand Van Heusen's women's line, a premium brand of Tata Motors and Marico's Parachute hair-care brand, taking home a total of about Rs 9 crore, a person with direct knowledge of the deals said.
Anirban Das Blah, MD of celebrity management firm Kwan, which manages Fakhri, confirmed that the 24-year-old actress has accepted offers from three leading brands, but declined to mention the names.
"It's not surprising, considering she's had one of the biggest career debuts with Ranbir Kapoor and Imtiaz Ali," he said.
Fakhri, a New Yorker born to a Pakistani father and Czech mother, told ET, "I'm actually quite speechless to have received such warm feedback from brands that consider me appropriate to represent them."
It is a first for an actor to grab three endorsement deals before making a career debut.
Deepika Padukone had endorsed two brands- UB Group's Kingfisher and Tissot watches-before her first Hindi film, Om Shanti Om, was released. Sonam
Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor too were signed by L'Oreal and Pepsi, respectively, before the release of their debut film Saawariya.
Atul Kasbekar, fashion photographer and CMD of entertainment management firm Bling, which manages Sonam Kapoor, says it's a calculated gamble to sign new faces before any big success.
The upside could be huge if the star becomes successful, because the deal price will be much less than what they will charge when they become big, he says.
It is expected that Fakhri's deals will be announced within 10 days. Spokespersons of Van Heusen and Marico declined comment. An email sent to Tata Motors remained unanswered.
Film trade analyst Komal Nahata says introducing new faces in films is largely driven by advertisers wanting to present new faces to their audience.
Anirban Das Blah, MD of celebrity management firm Kwan, which manages Fakhri, confirmed that the 24-year-old actress has accepted offers from three leading brands, but declined to mention the names.
"It's not surprising, considering she's had one of the biggest career debuts with Ranbir Kapoor and Imtiaz Ali," he said.
Fakhri, a New Yorker born to a Pakistani father and Czech mother, told ET, "I'm actually quite speechless to have received such warm feedback from brands that consider me appropriate to represent them."
It is a first for an actor to grab three endorsement deals before making a career debut.
Deepika Padukone had endorsed two brands- UB Group's Kingfisher and Tissot watches-before her first Hindi film, Om Shanti Om, was released. Sonam
Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor too were signed by L'Oreal and Pepsi, respectively, before the release of their debut film Saawariya.
Atul Kasbekar, fashion photographer and CMD of entertainment management firm Bling, which manages Sonam Kapoor, says it's a calculated gamble to sign new faces before any big success.
The upside could be huge if the star becomes successful, because the deal price will be much less than what they will charge when they become big, he says.
It is expected that Fakhri's deals will be announced within 10 days. Spokespersons of Van Heusen and Marico declined comment. An email sent to Tata Motors remained unanswered.
Film trade analyst Komal Nahata says introducing new faces in films is largely driven by advertisers wanting to present new faces to their audience.
