Aishwarya Ramesh
Advertising

Who's that girl? Netflix calls her Kukkoo...

The wig, the pearls, the loud lipstick - she was effortless as Kukoo on Netflix India’s series ‘Sacred Games.’ Meet Kubbra Sait – a popular face in ad land even before Sacred Games’ release. The character she played on screen, was short lived, but little do people know that she has a much longer part to play in advertising. Sait has a degree in finance and marketing from National Institute of Information and Management Sciences, Banaglore. She quit her job as an accounts manager at Microsoft, Dubai and moved to Mumbai to follow her dreams of making it big on the silver screen.

Interestingly, the role that put her on the map wasn’t even a part of the book the series was based on. In the book Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra, Kukoo is a carefree cabaret dancer but that’s about it. She wasn’t the main character’s love interest and had no say in the plot. In Anurag Kashyap’s retelling of the novel, he rewrote Kukoo to be a central character for the show. She essayed Ganesh Gaitonde’s love interest - a transgender cabaret dancer.

A still from Sacred Games season 1
A still from Sacred Games season 1

Her career spans almost a decade, she has starred in many TV ads, for brands such as Amazon, Airtel, Nikon and more. She worked as an emcee and an anchor before making a foray into the world of acting. She has also played side roles in movies such as Salman Khan’s Ready and Sultan. Nowadays, her Instagram handle is the place where she promotes the products that she is an ambassador of.

Recently, she starred in Levi’s I shape my world campaign, Olay, and Smashbox’s campaigns which can be seen on her instagram handle

1. Levi’s – I Shape My World

On the occasion of Women’s Day, Levi’s released the most recent rendition of their I Shape My World campaign that featured Kubbra Sait singing along.

2. Olay – Face Anything

Sait took to Instagram to promote Olay’s #FaceAnything campaign. The emphasis of this campaign was on being bold enough to face anything that comes your way, fearlessly.

View this post on Instagram

As WEIRD as this sounds, “WEIRDO” is the word that has followed me just as I followed my dreams with all my passion and determination. You’re a weirdo, because you laugh too loud, you’re a weirdo because you walk into a room and say hi to everyone, or because you talk too much, or don’t dress like a girl or act like a girl. Everything I did according to me and not according to what “THEY” said made me a more confirmed version of “WEIRDO”. On World International Women’s Day, I am striking off the word as it has made me nothing but stronger. Join the #FaceAnything movement. Share your stories with me and the world, ‘coz WE ARE stronger together. @olayindia

A post shared by Kubbra Sait (@kubbrasait) on

The campaign saw her starring alongside designer Masaba Gupta, YouTuber Lilly Singh and model and biker Priyanka Kochhar.

3. Nikon Coolpix

This is not the first time Sait has starred alongside big names. In this Diwali ad for Nikon Coolpix, she makes a quick appearance in the background alongside Priyanka Chopra.

4. Smashbox – Studio Skin Foundation

Smashbox hired influencers of different backgrounds to promote their studio skin foundation. Interestingly, the campaign had the same theme as Olay’s campaign – face anything. Sait posted a simple makeup tutorial type video on her Instagram feed.

5. Amazon Fashion

Sait is known for portraying offbeat roles – for this ad for Amazon Fashion, she donned the Chef’s hat... Literally!

6. Airtel

Highlighting how well connected the service is, Sait starred in an ad for Airtel 4G in 2017.

7. WeGo - #OffWeGo

Sait has also starred in ads in the automobile space – the most recent one being this ad for TVS WeGo.

8. Nano

Speaking of the automobile space, take a look at this Tata Nano ad she has also starred in.

9. Big Bazaar

She played the part of a married woman again in this ad for Big Bazaar’s Public Holiday Sale last year.

10. Gaana

The popular music streaming ad saw it fit to start the commercial off with her high energy vibe before everyone else in the video begins to dance, highlighting a ‘gaana’ for every mood.

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