Mammootty: Weighing the pros and cons

Thiruvananthapuram, March 22: Can Coca-Cola and communism mix?

The soft-drinks giant has approached Malayalam superstar Mammootty to rope him in as the brand ambassador in southern India. But, like everything else in Kerala, political fizz has been added to the issue as the actor is the chairman of the board of a CPM-backed television channel and is generally counted among Left supporters.

“Negotiations are at an advanced stage. But I am yet to make up my mind,” Mammootty told The Telegraph. “After all, the product has not been prohibited. All that I might say is that it is a good drink,” he said.

“When I accept the offer, I will seek a guarantee that Coke does not overexploit groundwater as alleged and whatever water it uses is replaced or that it finds alternative sources without dipping into the common person’s sources of drinking water,” said the actor.

Asked whether the money on offer was Rs 2 crore, Mammootty said: “That’s good money. I do not know….”

The reports to this effect have already created ripples in Kerala, with Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan of the CPM saying he was “dismayed” by the news but promising to persuade the superstar to revoke the deal.

No Coke official was ready to confirm or deny the reports. From local manager Janardhanan to deputy general manager Vikas Kocchar, the Coke officials said the person to respond to media questions was vice-president Sunil Gupta. However, there was no response from Gupta’s mobile phone.

Pro-Left and radical organisations are in the forefront of a boycott of the soft drink, following the detection of toxic heavy metals — lead and mercury — in the sludge at the bottling plant at Plaachimada in Palakkad.

“Let me talk to those people who have differences over this offer. It is left to them to convince me. I have an open mind,” said the actor who is the chairman of the pro-CPM Kairali TV.

“The public is not going to react. But public leaders who oppose this should convince me why I should not take this offer,” he said. “I would also like to say that those who over-react would be indirectly contributing to unsolicited publicity for Coke. Perhaps they have this in mind in approaching me.”

Mammootty said he did not think there would be an image problem because he heads Kairali TV. He also said there was no bar on the channel accepting Coke advertisements. The only condition, he said, is that “we would not accept ads with a rider attached. Kairali is a public limited company and in a competitive corporate environment no firm could say no to corporate ads”.

“I am not the only person in this brand business. But this is the first time a major international brand is coming to Kerala seeking a brand ambassador,” he said.

For Coke, this could be a major break. By netting a superstar and a Left sympathiser like Mammootty to sell its product, the multinational corporation might be able to fight off the negative publicity and do away with its image as a symbol of US imperialism.

A Kairali official said Mammootty could be used by Coke to put on a more public-friendly image.