The easiest celebrity equation for a national campaign has always been a familiar Bollywood face. A recognisable personality in a big campaign could travel across markets. But India does not consume culture through one common lens anymore. And it looks like brands too are paying attention. From Yash becoming the brand ambassador of Philips’s men grooming category to Sonam Bajwa's association with Underneat and Subashree Ganguly's partnership with Catch, regional stars are finding themselves at the centre of conversations that extend beyond their home markets. The interesting part is that this is not necessarily about replacing Bollywood but more on the line of brands becoming more deliberate about who fits the audience, the market and the story they want to tell.
For Philips, the Yash partnership offers perhaps the clearest example of how consumer behaviour can influence celebrity strategy. Smit Shukla, Country Head, Philips, recalls that the relationship began in a rather unexpected way. Yash was seen using Philips OneBlade, something the brand itself had not orchestrated as a formal celebrity association. “We were surprised with that fact, because you wouldn't expect that, just out of nowhere,” Shukla says.
What happened next caught the brand's attention. Consumers began messaging Philips, commenting on the connection and suggesting that Yash could be a natural fit for the brand. “A lot of consumer love came our way,” Shukla says, “with people asking who better than Yash for a brand like Philips”. That response became a signal worth listening to.
The timing of the campaign also mattered as it arrived with the release of Toxic, giving the association another layer of cultural visibility. When asked whether Yash could help Philips penetrate southern India more deeply, Shukla points out that the South is already a major market for any brand. The opportunity, therefore, is not restricted to gaining a foothold in one region. Shukla sees Yash as a personality whose appeal has travelled well beyond Karnataka. “He is a Pan-Indian star now,” he says, adding that the brand is looking at the entire country rather than treating the association as a South-only play.
That distinction is important because the very definition of a regional celebrity is becoming harder to pin down. Digital platforms have made it possible for stars to travel without physically entering every market. A personality who was once primarily identified with a particular language industry can now attract audiences through Instagram, YouTube, streaming platforms and short-form video.
Viren Vesuwala, Lead, Strategic Partnerships and Alliances at White Rivers Media, says brands are responding to this wider cultural reach. “Brands are increasingly exploring regional celebrities as audiences show a growing preference for culturally relevant and locally resonant content,” he says.
Language-first storytelling is an important part of this equation. According to Arnab Ghatak Choudhury, Senior General Manager, Marketing, Catch Salt & Spices, DS Group, “Regional celebrities play an important role as their cultural relevance, familiarity and deeper audience connection become central to the communication.”
This thought is showcased in the company's approach to celebrity partnership. As Catch associates with Subashree Ganguly, her familiarity within the Bengali market gives the communication a cultural texture that makes the brand feel closer to its intended audience. For Choudhury, regional talent can sit alongside national celebrities rather than compete directly with them. “They allow us to complement the scale and mass appeal of national celebrities with a more targeted consumer connect,” he says.
Alpa Dedhia, Co-Founder & CEO, Commix Global, believes the value of regional celebrity partnerships lies in the fit between the personality, the brand and its intended audience. Regional talent can bring language, cultural nuance and lived context to a campaign, making its message feel more immediate and relatable. This, she says, can help brands build deeper audience connections and derive greater value from their celebrity investments.
That targeted connection is increasingly valuable in a country where consumers do not necessarily respond to the same cultural cues. Ankit Shastri, Senior Group Director, Gozoop Creative, explains “The country has stopped watching one screen together, and brands are finally casting for that.” Streaming and short video have created a celebrity economy in which regional fame can travel quickly. A Punjabi, Telugu, Kannada or Bengali star can build a following that extends far beyond their primary language market.
“Digital has also made fame measurable,” Shastri mentions. This has encouraged brands to look beyond simple recognition and examine whether a celebrity can generate genuine audience affection and participation. There is a commercial consideration too. Shastri describes a major Bollywood celebrity may have associations across several categories, while a regional personality can sometimes offer a cleaner territory for a brand to own. That can make the partnership feel more distinctive.
But cheaper talent does not automatically mean better value. Regional campaigns can require multiple languages, scripts, shoots and approvals. Shastri points out that “six markets means six shoots, six scripts and six sets of approvals”, while a national face can potentially anchor one campaign across the country. For that reason, he argues “Regional campaigns earn money only when the brand has something specific to say in those markets, and loses it when it is treated as a discount,” he says. That distinction separates strategic casting from simply looking for a lower celebrity fee.
Vesuwala says regional and Bollywood celebrities bring different strengths. Bollywood names can offer broad recognition, while regional stars can deliver cultural familiarity within particular markets. This is also why brands are beginning to consider regional personalities for national campaigns.
Shastri believes examples such as Yash and Sonam Bajwa point towards a broader approach to celebrity casting. But he cautions against assuming that a regional celebrity needs to be turned into a conventional national ambassador. “Brands are not promoting regional stars into a national job. They are moving from one ambassador to a small cast,” he says.
That could mean a brand uses different personalities for different cultural worlds while maintaining a common brand idea. The celebrity becomes a bridge to a particular community rather than simply a face attached to a national media plan. Yet there is a trap. The very specificity that makes regional stars valuable can disappear if brands try too hard to make them look like national celebrities. “A regional star works because of specificity,” Shastri says. Take away the language, setting and cultural references, and some of the connection can disappear.
For Dedhia, the opportunity is to make celebrity investments work harder by aligning them with specific brand objectives. The decision, she argues, should go beyond the biggest available name to consider cultural fit, creative relevance and the strength of the audience connection. When these elements come together, regional celebrity partnerships can contribute to more meaningful engagement and lasting brand value across markets.
That maybe the strongest case for regional celebrities. Their value does not come simply from having a large following. It comes from having a following that recognises something familiar in them. For brands, that can mean moving beyond the broadest possible definition of reach and asking a more useful question: who can make this message feel like it belongs here?
Yash's unexpected OneBlade appearance gave Philips a consumer-led answer. Catch's association with Subashree reflects the value of cultural familiarity. Sonam Bajwa's growing brand presence demonstrates how a regional identity can travel through digital culture and fashion. The opportunity lies in knowing when to use that connection.
India's celebrity economy is becoming more plural, more fragmented and, perhaps, more interesting. Bollywood still carries enormous national recognition, but it sits alongside a growing pool of personalities who can command attention through language, culture and community. For marketers, the future may not belong to one superstar who speaks to everyone. It could belong to a carefully chosen cast of stars who each make the brand feel closer to a different part of India, while collectively giving it a much wider cultural footprint.
