Will Akshay Kumar’s Ram Temple donation stance impact his brand secularity?

Actor Akshay Kumar recently urged his fans to contribute towards the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, following the nationwide drive to collect donations that kicked off on January 29. “I have started, now I am sure you will join me too. So that the coming generations keep getting inspired to follow the life, path and message of Lord Ram,” he wrote on Twitter.

However, given the social media scrutiny that brands have to grapple with these days, netizens approached the video as a publicity stunt for his new movie, Ram Setu, which is currently in the works under the direction of Abhishek Sharma. Evidently, Kumar had to face flak by angry netizens who criticized the move.

That said, will this appeal impact Akshay’s brand secularity and alienate his large non-Hindu fan base? 

Samit Sinha, Managing Partner, Alchemist Brand Consulting notes that it is evident from the move that Kumar feels quite confident that he will continue to enjoy the support of his fan-base despite his non-secular position and his brand endorsements will continue unabated

“When Akshay Kumar conducted his interview with Narendra Modi in April 2019, he left no one in doubt about his political affiliation, so his soliciting donations for the Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya should not have come as a surprise to anyone. I don’t believe Akshay Kumar has any pretensions of being secular. That’s because, with only a handful of notable exceptions, the overwhelming majority of business houses in India toe the current government’s line out of self-interest and/or fear,” Sinha opines.

Interestingly, the Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB) ran a survey covering 478 respondents (M= 271, F=207) over the past 24 hours on Akshay Kumar’s video soliciting donations for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Here, 86% of surveyed respondents liked the Akshay video. 92% of these said he came across as ‘genuine’; 8% said he was acting out a script. Meanwhile, 82% agreed that he has always been proud to be Indian. 94% of these said that being unabashedly Hindu was perfectly okay. 76% felt there was nothing wrong with his asking for donations for the Ram Temple while 13% felt that his video was only a pitch for his forthcoming movie, Ram Setu.

Dr Sandeep Goyal, chief mentor of the Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB) observes that the secular credentials of Akshay Kumar, remain intact despite the very Hindu appeal. “The current Temple appeal only follows a predictable pattern. Research feedback serves to underline that the millions of Akshay fans continue to believe in his appeal, and in his genuineness. And non-Hindu consumers too are not offended by his call to donate for the Temple,” he reveals.

It should be noted that Kumar endorses a spate of brands across categories from Nirma, Policybazaar, PC Jewellers, Kajaria, Lodha, Harpic, Revital H to auto brands like Honda, Tata Motors, among others. 

According to reports, the actor charges an endorsement fee of up to 2-3 crore per day.

N Chandramouli, CEO, TRA feels that the actors' move could not only alienate non-Hindus but also progressive, liberal and secular Hindus.

“Akshay Kumar has not hidden his political stance, in direct and open support of the current dispensation, and he has received both support and antipathy for it. By soliciting donations for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, he has openly shown his pro-Hindutva stance, which displays his non-secular viewpoint,” he says. 

In 2018, the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari launched three short films for generating public awareness towards road safety with the actor and also appointed him as Road Safety Brand Ambassador.