Snapdeal has reportedly decided not to extend its contract with Aamir Khan.
Highlights
- Aamir Khan will no longer be Brand Icon for e-commerce company Snapdeal
- Snapdeal refuses to comment, Aamir's manager says contract has ended
- Last month, Khan was removed from the 'Incredible India' campaign
There will apparently be no sequel to superstar Aamir Khan's year-long role as celebrity brand icon for e-commerce Snapdeal, which was attacked last year by some users over the actor's comments on religious intolerance.
Speaking to NDTV, the actor's manager
denied reports that Mr Khan's contract with the online shopping site includes an option for a 12-month extension which Snapdeal has decided not to exercise. The manager said that the 50-year-old's arrangement with Snapdeal expires at the end of March, and that new negotiations would be needed for a longer association.
Snapdeal refused to comment on the controversy when contacted by NDTV.
A few weeks ago,
Mr Khan was replaced in the government's hugely popular and resourced Incredible India campaign, which pitches the country to tourists.
Mr Khan in November found himself tenanting a high-decibel debate
after he shared his concerns about intolerance towards minorities in India. The actor said his wife has wondered out loud if they should relocate from India. A social media takedown lashed out at the actor as "anti-nationalist".
At the time, Snapdeal, warned on Twitter by users who said they would stop using the shopping site, made it clear that in a statement that "Snapdeal is neither connected nor plays a role in comments made by Aamir Khan in his personal capacity." Rival Flipkart's founder Sachin Bansal backed Snapdeal and said the criticism of the company amounted to "flawed logic".The government has denied that Mr Khan's exit last month from the Incredible India campaign was payback for his comments on intolerance, seen as anti-government. Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said the government had ended its deal with an ad agency which brought Mr Khan to the campaign.
The actor, who starred in the government campaign for 10 years, said, "I respect the decision of the government to discontinue with my services." He also said that he has participated "free of any cost to me" in all public service ads.