Star Appeal

As buyers,we are swayed by a million things. But an endorsement from a popular film star the only other contender is a sport star,and in India,that is usually always a cricketing man is right at the top of that list. A sparkly-smiley Deepika Padukone can help us decide which toothpaste to pick. George Clooney,that man with the sexiest crinkle around his eyes,can throw that wattage behind a watch whose cost could feed a Darfur family for a few years.

You would think theres a huge difference between a toothpaste that costs a few rupees,and a time piece with a thousand dollar tag. But for brand builders,where every unit counts,their star is the one pushing the unit to us. And the way I look at it,you cant really say one is a luxury item,and the other is not. For a person who can afford only manjan,a toothpaste that comes out of a sleek tube is an aspirational thing,the same way,I suppose,a toothpowder-out-of-a-tin would be for someone who can only pluck up a neem datun as a teeth-cleaner. Not as a hip,alternative lifestyle statement,but out of economic necessity.

Those who juggle film star finances know that he or she acquires serious heft only when he or she can start adorning billboards to entice adoring fans towards their chosen brands. Brand managers go after the stars they think are a good fit for their products. And now that stars are brands too,the ambassadorship a mutual give and take,which encourages us to give our money and take their product is a telling map of our secret and not so-secret desires.

If Ranbir Kapoor can smirk his way to a particular cola,so can I. If Shah Rukh Khan can layer his face with a fairness potion,why,so can I,and get my own IPL team,too. If Angelina Jolies bee-stung mouth can entice a Brad Pitt away from an earlier relationship,what is to stop me from using that same lip colour? If Aishwarya Rais hair colour says she is worth it,so am I.

And this connection,which helps blur the distinction between need and want,is nothing but luxe. Do I need another perfectly fitting cotton vest,which will give me the pectorals of a Salman Khan,or another perfectly shaped brassiere that will give me an uplifting Scarlett Johansson moment? Maybe not,but who is to stop me from wanting though? And who is to say that that is not the ultimate in luxury: I need,I want,and looky heere folks,I got!