SRK, Ranbir & Alia: Why are B'wood celebrities endorsing Dubai realty?

Last November, headlines were rife with the news of an upcoming Shahrukhz by Danube tower, not anywhere close to Mannat, not in Mumbai, not even in India, but across the Persian Gulf, all the way over in Dubai. 

While the news qualified as an exciting development in the world of real estate, it wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary. Turns out, Dubai developers have been employing Bollywood celebrities and their star power to endorse properties in the city for decades now. 

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Considering the popularity of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan in South Asia as a whole, it makes intuitive sense that the Danube Group would choose the actor as the ambassador and namesake for their new 55-storey premium commercial tower. 

Dubai has long been home to the South Asian, especially Indian diaspora, who partook in wealth migration to the city for better employment opportunities, tax benefits and investor-friendly policies. Hence, onboarding Bollywood actors to attract investment from this audience can be considered a sound marketing choice. 

Around the same time Shahrukhz by Danube was making headlines, Bollywood couple Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor also became the faces of DAMAC Properties’ premium residential portfolio in Downtown Dubai for their emerging waterfront corridors.

Late 2025 also witnessed the partnership between Hrithik Roshan and Imtiaz Developments for the latter’s "design-led luxury" projects in areas like Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) and Al Furjan in Dubai. 

Another luxury property developer in Dubai, HRE Development, has also recently signed Salman Khan to endorse its high-end residential properties and to drive trust among the Indian diaspora.

The Danube Group has also partnered with other celebrities, such as Kartik Aryan and the Munna Bhai MBBS duo, Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi, to sell its properties. 

While the deal with Aryan was made in late 2025 to attract younger buyers for Danube’s Bayz (for high-rise urban lifestyle) and Sportz (for luxury active lifestyle), Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi starred in Danube’s 2023 ad campaign titled Dubai Mei Ghar Bole To... Danube Ka Ghar.

We may be looking at a trend here, and while Danube’s name features in it repeatedly, the group may also be the ones who started it all the way back in 2008.

Almost two decades ago, Shah Rukh Khan launched the ‘Shah Rukh Khan Boulevard’ on Dana Island in Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, marking the first time a Bollywood star's name branded a major UAE development.

Later, in 2014, he endorsed the Dh2.3 billion Royal Estate in Dubai Investment Park, a project featuring interiors designed by Gauri Khan.

Deepika Padukone has also endorsed Aspire Real Estate as the first female Bollywood celebrity to endorse real estate in Dubai back in 2008 in Dubai Marina. Anil Kapoor endorsed Ritz by Danube in 2016 in Al Furjan, and Ranveer Singh partnered with PRYPCO Blocks in 2025 across Dubai Marina. 

Another star couple, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, endorsed Sanctuary Falls in 2013 for Shaikh Holdings in Jumeirah Golf Estates.

The trend makes it seem like developers in Dubai are increasingly relying on celebrities to attract investors to properties in the desert.