As Big B promotes Gujarat tourism, SRK comes out with ad on resurgent Bengal

Kolkata, Sep 30: Following in the footsteps of Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, who had been promoting Gujarat tourism, superstar and Bengal brand ambassador Shahrukh Khan has done an ad highlighting the strengths of West Bengal. The ad was released today. It is part of the ‘Bengal Leads' campaign to attract investors and tourists into the state. The two-minute promotional film talks of a new resurgent Bengal consistent with Rabindranath Tagore's dream of ‘Sonar Bangla' (Golden Bengal). With the Rabindrasangeet tune of ‘Banglar Mati Banglar Jol' playing in the background, the Bollywood ‘baadshah' proudly says, “There is something special about Bengal”. Officials of the state information and cultural affairs department said a positive and vibrant image of the state will be created through a series of campaigns and advertisements fronted by King Khan.In the next few days the video will be released on national TV channels.With breathtaking shots of the forests of Sunderbans, the mountains and rivers of north Bengal, the advertisement not only showcases the natural beauty of the state but also highlights the rich cultural heritage of Kolkata and in Tagore's abode of Santiniketan.The religious sites in the state such as the famed temple of Kalighat, Dakshineswar and Belur Math also feature in the promo film.Also talking of economic activities in the state, it highlights industrialisation, agricultural growth, skilled artisans and handicrafts.Education, health and sports are also talked about in the video which has music by Shantanu Moitra. The advertisement is a brainchild of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was involved at all stages right from conceptualisation to implementation, officials said. Bengali film director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, who directed this audio-visual, said even the song and the tagline was her idea.“She told us that the audio-visual is meant to show that everything is present in Bengal, we just need to find it out. We tried to do exactly that,” said the National Film Award winning filmmaker.He also said that it is not only meant to attract tourists only.“We just wanted to show the strengths of Bengal which is very wide and diversified. It is about the awakening of Bengal”.Officials said another film to promote tourism is also on the cards.Shahrukh, who has often described Kolkata as his “second home” after buying the IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008, is apparently not charging any fees for the shoot.“My fees for the job is that I have to get free fish fry each time I come here,” he had earlier jokingly said to dismiss queries on his remuneration. Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has been promoting Gujarat government's tourism campaign for the last several years.