Tamannaah Bhatia on Tuesday formally took over as the brand ambassador of century-old Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd (KSDL), stirring fresh controversy over the rationale behind picking a non-Kannada speaking actor to represent the famous Mysore Sandal Soap.

The Opposition BJP and several social media users have raked up the debate that can be traced back to May last year when the Karnataka government roped in the Mumbai-born Sindhi actor for ₹6.2 crore to model for the soap brand, sidelining actors from the Kannada film industry.

On Tuesday, all major newspapers carried full-page advertisements featuring Tamannaah as the KSDL brand ambassador. At an event held in Bengaluru, the actor launched 60 products comprising personal care and home care items.

Large and medium industries minister M.B. Patil defended the state government’s decision, saying Tamannaah was picked based on her merit, star value, business considerations and to push KSDL into a global FMCG brand.

“We aim to spread KSDL’s products not only across India, but targeting international markets, including West Asia, the US and the UK. Earlier, I had categorically clarified why Tamannaah was chosen as the brand ambassador. A committee had considered five-six names, which included a few from Karnataka. But they had endorsed some other products. If you endorse some other product, you cannot be a brand ambassador for this product. So, they were rejected,” Patil told reporters in Bengaluru.

Tamannaah had earlier endorsed Chandrika Soaps in Kerala. The actor termed her two-year contract with KSDL a “new chapter” in her two-decade-long career in the tinsel world. “Mysore Sandal is not a mere soap. It’s an emotion, childhood nostalgia and the truth of authenticity. I’m honoured to take this iconic and heritage brand to a global audience,” she said.

Several social media users slammed the Karnataka government’s decision to choose Tamannaah over Kannada actors to promote the state’s iconic brand.

BJP MP from Chikkaballapura and former state minister K. Sudhakar said: “Although many stars from our own Karnataka were eligible to be appointed as brand ambassadors for Karnataka’s famous international brand Mysore Sandal Soap, a film actress from another state, from another language, has been appointed as the brand ambassador by paying crores of rupees. This is yet another proof of the Congress party’s anti-Kannada mentality.

“Kannada film stars like Ramya, Rashmika Mandanna, Srinidhi Shetty, Pooja Hegde, Rukmini Vasanth and many other actresses have become popular and are in demand in the film industry of many other languages. They have raised the banner of Kannada fame at the national and international levels,” Sudhakar wrote on X.

Hitting out at Sudhakar, Patil said doing politics over the issue won’t help. He said Tamannaah had 2.8 crore followers on social media. He said the KSDL’s earlier plan to bring in Deepika Padukone, who hails from Bengaluru, had to be dropped as she was beyond their budget.