Darsheel enters ad world with Horlicks

New Delhi, April 18 Darsheel Safary, who wowed all in "Taare Zameen Par", has stepped into the world of advertising, becoming the brand ambassador of health drink Horlicks and he advises kids to try it to be "cool".

In the TV commercial, the child actor appears in trendy clothes, stylish shades and spiked hair to impress a few girls and ends with the tagline - "Drink Horlicks and be cool".

"The ad is very cool and nice. I have been drinking Horlicks since I was three years old and I like the chocolate flavour the most," Darsheel told reporters here at the official announcement of his association with Horlicks Friday.

Sumeet Saluja, general manager, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, is confident that the energy drink's brand value will soar due to Darsheel.

"Darhseel epitomises childhood. He is spontaneous, lively and vibrant and so every child can connect to him. He is a very good fit for us. Although I cannot quantify the rise in sales due to him, I am sure it will be substantial," Saluja told IANS.

Of late, Darsheel has been in the limelight for the price he has been quoting. Asked about the price being paid to their new ambassador, Saluja refused to comment.

"I will be breaching the contract with him if I disclose the details," he said.

Darsheel will be supporting various campaigns for Horlicks for one year. The first in the series is the TV commercial, which will air Friday onwards.



I've hardly any friends left: Darsheel Safary
By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, April 18 Darsheel Safary is courting stardom at age 11 and relishing it too but at the same time the little bundle of talent, who wowed all and sundry in "Taare Zameen Par" (TZP), rues that he has lost most of his friends.

"They've changed totally. I only have some friends left... maybe six in all. The rest have all left me. They're all the time trying to pull me down. They're a little jealous of me. When I'm passing by in my car, they go, 'Hey Darsheel Darsheel. Photo photo'. But I'm happy with my six friends," Darsheel told IANS.

He seems nonchalant. "I don't know why my friends have changed. Maybe because I've acted in a movie."

It is impossible to pin down Darsheel for even a semblance of a conversation. This wasn't the case with him just after the release of TZP when the success of the film had just begun to sink in.

"I'm enjoying all this attention, of course. But when I did TZP it was just something I tried out. I didn't know how it would turn out, but suddenly it became a big hit."

Ask him if he intends to do another film, and Darsheel rattles off his pre-rehearsed diplomatic lines.

"I don't know whether I'll do another film or not. I may do one more film in the future. My mom and dad are looking after all that. I'm only focussing on my studies. No acting for me right now. I'm totally concentrating on my studies."

However, Darsheel's business manager Priyanka Bhattacharya said that if something good came his way, he might take it up.

"He's a brat. He hasn't signed any more films, but there're talks. However, Darsheel has just gone from Class 5 to 6 and he has more studies on hand. If something really interesting comes up, I'm sure he can manage it," said Bhattacharya.