In Hollywood, it would be hard to imagine reigning megastars such as Brad Pitt or George Clooney diluting their celebrity status by endorsing such everyday products as antiseptic cream or cheap mobile phone deals.

In India, it is par for the course. A visitor cannot set foot in the country without seeing on every television channel or city billboard the monarchs of the country’s movie industry, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, backing almost any product willing to pay their fees.