Kajol: Authenticity Is the Best Celebrity Brand Strategy

Celebrity-founded brands are multiplying across beauty, wellness, fashion and nutrition. But in a new ETRetail TOPSHELF cover interview, Kajol makes the case that fame is not a business model. Her bet is on authenticity, vetting and restraint.

The endorsement is the product

Kajol says she would love to launch a brand, but is clear that building one is difficult and takes more than a recognisable face. She is selective about equity and investor approaches too, describing herself as cautious.

Her endorsement rule is simple. Before she puts her name on anything, she checks it: “If I endorse something, I’ve vetted it, I’ve checked it out and I’ve made sure that I’m not short-selling anybody.” The logic is that when consumers see her endorsing a product, they are seeing her along with it.

That shift matters because celebrity marketing has moved from visibility deals to deeper equity, investment and co-created businesses. Brands want ambassadors who build long-term trust, not just recall. Kajol’s point is that the partnership only works when the conviction is real.

Why Gen Z is not impressed

Asked what brands should do to win Gen Z, Kajol says stop forcing them. They can see through the bullshit, she argues, and are smarter than earlier generations at the same age. The strategic implication: persuasion through push no longer works.

Her read on retail is that “truth is trending”, along with identity and individuality. For brand managers that shifts authenticity from a value statement to a competitive advantage. Consumers have reviews, comparisons and social proof at their fingertips.

• Vet before you endorse: a familiar face cannot cover an unverified product.
• Treat visibility as accountability: the customer is buying the celebrity along with the item.
• Don’t force Gen Z: stories with “truth behind them” outperform persuasion.

The cinema lesson for brands

Kajol extends the same principle to experience. As part of NY Cinemas, she says theatres cannot simply be replaced at home, and wants people to watch films “first in cinemas and then on OTT”. The formula is not cinema versus streaming; it is making the theatre a complete experience around location, customer experience and the overall offering.

For marketers, that is a classic positioning lesson: when a category is disrupted, the response is not just content, but context and ritual.

Rooted stories travel further

Thirty years after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kajol points to originality as the next global opportunity for Indian stories. She says creators should lean into India’s own culture and lived experiences rather than imitating global formats.

The underlying brand principle is consistent: whether endorsing, investing or building experiences, the things that feel true to the source outlast the things that chase a trend.

Source: ETRetail.com