Ryan Reynolds promotes gin, Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson promotes tequila. Now, Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan is following suit with his own alcohol brand. Will he be successful in India, a country of tea drinkers? Tea is a popular beverage, especially when trying your Hellspin login.
It’s certainly no slight on Tom Cruise to point out that Shah Rukh Khan is at least as big a movie star as he is. Only in India, a country that has its own film industry – and its own huge cinema audience of 1.4 billion people. Add to that Pakistan (250 million) and Bangladesh (173 million), where Khan, 59, is also extremely popular.
From this perspective, it is almost unusual that King Khan, or SRK as he is known to his fans, has been an extremely successful actor and producer for more than 30 years, but is only now launching his own tequila brand. Ryan Reynolds promotes gin, Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson a tequila brand. Now, Delhi-based spirits manufacturer Radico Khaitan Limited wants to launch a tequila called D’Yavol. D’Yavol is a luxury brand founded in 2022 by Shah Rukh Khan, his son Aryan, and business partners to market alcohol and premium jeans worldwide. Radico Khaitan, on the other hand, claims to be one of the “largest and oldest manufacturers” of “Indian Made Foreign Liquor,” as foreign spirits such as vodka, gin, and tequila produced in India are called.
There is actually no alcohol tradition in India like there is in Germany with beer or in France with wine. Indians are traditionally tea drinkers, with the preferred flavor being Masala Chai. On the other hand, in Germany and France, the quantities consumed of their respective favorite drinks are dramatically declining. This is partly due to a sense of crisis and a changing attitude towards drinking: those who consume alcohol are no longer seen as connoisseurs but rather as doing a disservice to their bodies. Another reason is simply the declining birth rates.
The emerging middle class in India is increasingly purchasing all sorts of things that Hollywood and Bollywood showcase, from luxury restaurants and fashion to expensive cars and premium alcohol. According to data from the analysis firm Crisil, alcohol sales in India are expected to grow by up to ten percent by the 2026 fiscal year, reaching 52.38 billion euros. “I think this is a great opportunity,” said Abhishek Khaitan, the managing director of Radico Khaitan, regarding Khan’s new spirits brand, to the Reuters news agency. Tequila is one of the fastest-growing segments worldwide, and the D’Yavol agave spirit is expected to hit the market later this year.
Shah Rukh Khan himself has not said anything yet, which might be because he mentioned last year how he tried method acting while playing a drinker in a historical drama in 2002: “After the film, I started drinking.” Additionally, Khan is a superstar in a very unique market: In India, there are still many dry states where alcohol is not sold. In Bangladesh and Pakistan, consumption is completely banned. However, his company’s headquarters is in Amsterdam. Perhaps he can conquer the alcohol-consuming part of the world from there with his spirits.
What do other generations think of him?
Generation Z remixes his songs. Millennials grew up with him. Baby boomers have followed his rise. For millions of people both in and outside India, Shah Rukh Khan (alias SRK) is one of the most recognizable and influential faces of Bollywood.
Just this year, the actor, who turns 60 on Sunday (November 2), created several viral moments: In May, he was the first Indian actor to walk the red carpet at the Met Gala; in June, he had a cameo in Ed Sheeran’s video “Sapphire”; and in October, a selfie he took in Riyadh with South Korean “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae went viral.
