It is Sunny Deol’s ‘dhai kilo ka haath’ against the might of Bangur Cement 

Sunny Deol’s two-and-a-half-kilo heavy hand debuted in Indian advertising today (Jan 17, 2024) after a cameo appearance in Damini 31 years ago in 1993.

In a 60-second Bangur Cement ad – a brainchild of McCann Worldgroup – people repeatedly ask the actor to repeat his now part-of-pop-culture dialogue at building inaugurations; when he says it with a thumping action of his arm, it destroys the property, leaving everyone bewildered. 

It is not until his action fails to prove his might when applied on a wall made with Bangur Cement that the actor realises there is someone mightier than his dhai kilo ka haath.

The use of Deol’s dialogue is a nod to a now entrenched trend in ad land India – Celebrities’ on-screen characters are in demand than the celebrities themselves. 

Since the past 16 months, several brands have followed this route: 

1.    Munna Bhai and Circuit made an appearance for Acko Health Insurance 

2.    The cast of CID and Crime Patrol for boAt 

3.    Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone played shades of their Pathaan characters for a Hyundai Creta ad 

4.    3 Idiots cast made their ad debuts in a Dream11 campaign

5.    Pratik Gandhi donned his Harshad Mehta avatar to sell CenturyPly Club

6.    Kareena Kapoor channelled Poo once again for Goibibo  

It is a sign of how nostalgia is working better for actors and actresses in their ads than just their faces despite Bollywood’s return to form in 2023 with hits such as Pathaan, Jawaan, Gadar 2, Animal, and 12th Fail, after a slump in box office number for a couple of years. 

Also, Bangur Cement’s ad is apt considering the professional high Sunny Deol is breathing after the roaring success of Gadar 2. Interestingly, this spot dropped right after Ultra Tech Cement released its ad with its new brand ambassador, Shah Rukh Khan.