Actor Tamannaah Bhatia is not letting the KDSL ambassador row affect her too much. On Sunday, she took to Instagram to share a couple posts, showing her unperturbed stance on the matter.

Tamannaah Bhatia’s posts on Instagram

Tamannaah shared a selfie on Instagram Stories, showing her look for the day. She wore an animal print outfit with stacked necklaces and sunglasses but did not post any caption. Her second post was a birthday wish for filmmaker Karan Johar.

What is the KDSL controvery?

Workers from pro-Kannada organisations staged a protest in Bengaluru, demanding the removal of actor Tamannaah Bhatia as the brand ambassador of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL). The actor has reportedly been offered ₹6.2 crore for her association with the brand.

Karnataka’s Minister for Large and Medium Industries, MB Patil, acknowledged the backlash, stating that many locals were unhappy with the decision to appoint Bhatia as the face of the state-run company’s products.

Speaking at a press conference, Patil clarified that the controversy wasn’t rooted in language or regional identity, but in the larger goal of building national and global recognition for Karnataka’s products.

“I have great respect for Kannada identity. But this is a matter of trade and business, and our focus should be on promoting these products across India and globally,” he said.

Explaining the rationale behind choosing Bhatia, Patil noted that the actor has a social media following of 2.8 crore and was the most feasible option. He added that Rashmika Mandanna was unavailable due to prior commitments, Pooja Hegde and Kiara Advani were not possible choices, and Deepika Padukone was beyond KSDL’s budget.

On May 22, Tamannaah Bhatia was officially named as the brand ambassador for KSDL. The appointment, however, has faced criticism from certain groups who feel a Kannada actor should have been selected to represent the iconic Karnataka-based brand.

 Source: Hindustan Times