Dream Girl outshines tennis icon

Prasad Bhosekar
It looks like falling down WTA rankings isn’t all that Sania Mirza, India’s tennis sensation has to worry about. Now it appears that she is even losing lucrative commercial contracts to others. As if that were not enough, to add insult to injury, her replacement is a woman old enough to be her mother, i.e. Bollywood’s dream girl of yester years, Hema Malini. Malabar Gold which had appointed India’s high profile tennis prodigy as its brand ambassador have chosen to replace her with aging actress Hema Malini. The company officials admit that there was partial success with Sania Mirza as brand ambassador in roping in the youth. However the ageless appeal of Hema Malini is what they feel will help them achieve the targets they have set. When Sania Mirza’s year-long contract with Malabar Gold expired they decided against renewing her contract. Instead Hema Malini and Mohanlal star in their new ad which was shot ironically in Hyderabad, the hometown of Sania Mirza. The officials maintain that the parting with the tennis player was mutual. Kalyan Pedibotla, marketing manager for Malabar Gold goes on to say that Hema Malini was glad to accept the offer of being associated with the brand. She also complements the other brand ambassador of the company, Mohanlal, a superstar in his own right in the Malayalam film industry. This seems to be one instance where youth has given way to age and experience. Maybe now Sania can concentrate more on pulling herself up the rankings.