Disney+ Hotstar's new ad speculates SRK's OTT debut

Is the Bollywood superstar missing out on subscribing to the leading streaming platform?

Shah Rukh Khan (SRK), the ‘King of Bollywood’, has been away from the box office and the brand endorsement space for quite some time now.

In terms of work, the actor was last seen in the 2018 film ‘Zero’, alongside Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. He will next be seen in ‘Pathan’, which also stars Deepika Padukone. He has also co-produced Alia Bhatt’s ‘Darlings’, and ‘Bob Biswas’, featuring Abhishek Bachchan.

Recently, Khan appeared in the leading streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar’s promotional teaser.

In the ad film, he is seen experiencing FOMO (fear of missing out) for not being on Disney+ Hotstar, as other actors like Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt have already appeared on the streaming platform.

The Disney+ Hotstar campaign has led fans to speculate about the superstar’s OTT debut. Although the promo does not reveal any details, fans are wondering if it will be a movie or web series release, or that the platform is just promoting upcoming T20 cricket World Cup or Indian Premier League (IPL).

The ad shows that Disney+ Hotstar has a range of content, including sporting events, international blockbusters, homegrown specials, exclusive shows and blockbusters by superstars, except SRK, and keeps his fans curious with a ‘to be continued’ sign.

It is conceptualised by All Things Small, directed by Ayappa and produced by Early Man Films. Devaiah Bopanna, co-founder, All Things Small, shared his experience of working on the ad in a LinkedIn post (below).

Commenting on the campaign, Santosh Hegde, director, brand marketing, Disney+ Hotstar, reveals that this “audacious creative process” will propel the next phase of growth for the streaming platform .

In a LinkedIn post, he adds, “... I couldn't have asked for a better way to validate the decision I took 10 years back, to go down the rabbit hole called 'marketing'. This is the kind of campaign any budding marketer dreams of. Does it seem worth the effort that went in! Hope the Qayanat shows some love now!”

It looks like SRK has chosen a streaming platform for his long-awaited comeback.