Luxury goes to Bollywood

In 2013, Alia Bhatt graced the cover of Harper's Bazaar India wearing Gucci from top to toe, and the headline went: "Alia Bhatt Steps Into A New Role". It had to be prescient, because here we are, 10 years later, with the young and talented movie star just announced as the global brand ambassador for the Italian luxury fashion label.

- NAMRATA ZAKARIA

Bhatt's international assignment comes just a year after Deepika Padukone was announced as the global brand ambassador for the luxury behemoth Louis Vuitton. Padukone was already the international model for Cartier, Qatar Airways and Levi's. But a brand ambassador is a huge deal, and let's face it, there is no bigger deal than Vuitton. In 2021, Priyanka Chopra was announced as global ambassador for Bulgari, with the jewellery house even introducing a modern-day mangalsutra for its Indian audiences.

Going by the celebrated appointments of India's top three actresses, one would think India's luxury market is flourishing. But we have only taken over from China its mantle of being the most populous country in the world. In every other notable box-growth, GDP, cost of living, life expectancy, internet usage, health care-China is miles ahead. As are many other countries in South East Asia.