Boardroom Super Stars Now in Ads

Once behind the scenes, India’s brand founders are now front and center in Ads, TV shows and Podcasts; but will personal branding be enough to sell?

by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 6, 2025 12:24 PM | 2 min read

When boAt dropped its latest speaker ad featuring the hottest OTT stars, from Raghav Juyal’s wholesome humour to Bobby Deol’s brooding charm, it already had social media buzzing. But the real whistle-worthy moment came when the brand’s founder, Aman Gupta, strolled into the frame. No special effects, no over-the-top drama, just a founder turning into the star of his own product story. In that instant, the ad didn’t just sell a gadget; it sold the idea of the entrepreneur as celebrity. And Gupta isn’t alone. From Peyush Bansal joking around with Karan Johar in Lenskart commercials to Anupam Mittal pitching green flags in Shaadi.com campaigns, India’s startup founders are making the jump from boardrooms to billboards, from business leaders to cultural icons.

India’s media and entertainment landscape has always mirrored its prevailing ideologies. In the 1970s and 1980s, Amitabh Bachchan embodied the ‘angry young man,’ fighting against ruthless business magnates who symbolised greed and oppression. The business owner was the villain. But with the advent of liberalisation, privatisation, and globalisation in the 1990s, the tide turned. Wealth creators were suddenly aspirational, admired rather than reviled. Today, this ideological shift is evident in how business leaders are portrayed, not as faceless tycoons but as relatable, visionary figures who embody hustle, innovation, and modern Indian ambition. A generational leap is visible when comparing Javed Akhtar’s scripts, steeped in class struggle, to the affluent, cosmopolitan characters crafted by his children, Zoya and Farhan Akhtar.