Male celebrities in the kitchen—but are they really stirring change?

If advertisements truly reflect societal change, it could be argued that Indian kitchens are quietly undergoing a revolution. Today, leading male celebrities dominate endorsements for food products—far removed from the sari-clad women who once ruled these ads.

The shift is striking, with Shah Rukh Khan representing Daawat, Amitabh Bachchan for India Gate, Akshay Kumar in Fortune’s campaign, and both Khan and Bachchan for Everest Masala. Additionally, Ajay Devgn promotes Pushp, while chefs such as Ranveer Brar and Sanjeev Kapoor endorse Tata Sampann. 

A decade ago, such ads almost exclusively featured women, reinforcing their traditional role in the kitchen.

But look closer, and the transformation is not quite as deep as it seems. Unlike their female predecessors, who were either seen cooking food, serving it at the table, or making decisions about it, these male endorsers are depicted very differently. 

They appear as celebrities savouring a dish or professionals plating it in restaurant kitchens—suggesting that while the faces have changed, the narrative hasn’t entirely caught up.

Consider, for instance, Amitabh Bachchan in the India Gate Basmati Rice advertisement. He exclusively advocates for the branded rice. In the Everest Masala advertisement, Bachchan and Khan are depicted hurrying home to savour a meal made with the masala. 

Akshay Kumar appears in the Fortune Foods advertisement cooking, but he is not portrayed as a family member; rather, he is simply a celebrity endorsing the product.

It is rare to see a female brand ambassador for kitchen ingredients these days. Shilpa Shetty would be an example for Zoff Spices and Kareena Kapoor for KPG Spices. Kapoor has endorsed Tirupati Oil also in the past and Karisma Kapoor has endorsed McCain Foods for a long time. Vidya Balan also used to endorse Prestige Pressure Cooker. But there is a stark difference in their portrayal- they are portrayed as caring mothers who are making the right choices for the family.

While these brands are attempting to cater to the changing dynamics of the Indian homes where men are equal stakeholders, they stop short of showing actual change. This could be because even today, women would shudder to see their married sons in the kitchen. After all, their ‘raja beta’ cannot be doing household chores. Perhaps society still views men's involvement in the kitchen as 'help' rather than their responsibility.

In an earlier interaction with afaqs!, Falguni Vasavada-Oza, professor, area leader—strategic marketing, MICA, had said that categories like kitchen spices, where male superstars have taken over as brand ambassadors, still manage to seem sexist.

“The shift is driven by the increased visibility of male chefs in mainstream media like MasterChef. Celebrities such as Ranveer Brar and Sanjeev Kapoor are becoming more accepted as chefs, with their popularity rising on platforms like Instagram. In a few ads, you might see men cooking or taking charge in the kitchen. However, typically, they're portrayed as customers being served directly at the table within a patriarchal framework. So those ads are still targeted to women,” she explained.

While brands have taken a positive step towards change, it seems to be only to appease the changing sentiment. Although it may please women to see these men in the kitchen, it also ensures that no one is offended. Brands now need to make more efforts to bring about tangible changes in homes.