The actor further drawing parallels to iconic brands like Amul, Apple, Dove, and Amazon, which don't have traditional brand ambassadors, said that "Mysore sandal soap is iconic and carries huge legacy it doesn’t need a brand ambassador."
Published May 26, 2025 | 12:12 PM ⚊ Updated May 26, 2025 | 12:12 PM
Actor-producer Ramya. (X)
Kannada actor-producer Ramya recently responded on Tamannaah Bhatia being appointed as the brand ambassador of the iconic Mysore Sandal Soap by Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited.
Emphasising that the strength of Mysore Sandal soap lies in its relatability, the actor and producer claimed, “Clearly the ones involved are so out of touch. Mysore sandal soap is not any other soap- it has to be dealt with sensitivity to the people of Karnataka.”
Calling the move by KSDL an eyewash, Ramya sharing her article for Times of India on X, said, “Appreciate the intent to revive KSDL but the execution seems like an eyewash. Even from a business point of view especially when the company is dwindling.”
The actor further drawing parallels to iconic brands like Amul, Apple, Dove, and Amazon, which don’t have traditional brand ambassadors, said that “Mysore sandal soap is iconic and carries huge legacy it doesn’t need a brand ambassador.”
Appreciate the intent to revive KSDL but the execution seems like an eyewash.
Even from a business point of view especially when the company is dwindling imho Mysore sandal soap is iconic and carries huge legacy it doesn’t need a brand ambassador (Amul, Apple, Dove, Amazon)By… pic.twitter.com/5f5Pz6vXWd
— Ramya/Divya Spandana (@divyaspandana) May 26, 2025
Calling out the lack of representation, Ramya said, “By taking a non-Kannadiga as a brand ambassador to target the consumer market in the north they have alienated its own people, its core loyal consumer base, the Kannadiga. It fails us especially at a time when we’re fighting to retain our Kannada pride.”
“Women have fought for centuries from voting rights to unrealistic beauty standards on runways to skincare to equal pay – and here we’re still being told fair skin is aspirational,” she added.
Clarifying that the outrage isn’t against Tamannaah, Ramya said, “She’s merely a celebrity doing her job. It’s about us. It’s about a state-owned enterprise ignoring the profound, organic connection it already has with its people, overlooking the far more potent connection a local Kannada actor or actress would bring.”
She added, “Many would have embraced this role for free, out of sheer pride for the state, much like the late Puneeth Rajkumar and I did for the ‘Hosa Belaku’ LED campaign.”
Tamannaah has been singed as the ambassador for two years, for ₹6.2 crore.
The notification noted that, “The state finance department exempted the Commerce and Industries Department from the Transparency Act under section 4(g) of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act, 1999 to appoint Tamannaah Bhatia as KSDL’s brand ambassador for two years and two days at a cost of ₹6.2 crore.”
However, choosing the actor, who has predominantly worked in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil film industries over a Kannada actor, has garnered criticism.
Responding to the criticism, Minister of Commerce and Industries, MB Patil said that the decision was taken to penetrate markets beyond Karnataka.
Further reasoning the choice, the Karnataka Minister said, it was an “independent strategic decision of the PSU board after consulting various marketing experts.”
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
