Shashi Tharoor's Sister Shobha Inspired Amul Girl? What Company Says

Amul has dismissed claims that its iconic blue-haired mascot was modelled on Shashi Tharoor's sister, after a viral video suggested that a childhood photograph of Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan inspired the character. "We wish to clarify that the Amul Girl illustration is not influenced by Ms Shobha Tharoor. She was created by Mr Sylvester daCunha and illustrator Mr Eustace Fernandes," the dairy brand said in a statement. 

We wish to clarify the Amul Girl illustration is not influenced by Ms Shobha Tharoor. She was created by Mr Sylvester daCunha and illustrator Mr Eustace Fernandes.

— Amul4Customer (@amulcares) August 18, 2025

The video claimed that in the 1960s, Amul's then-advertising head, Sylvester daCunha, asked his friend Chandran Tharoor for pictures of his children. According to the account, one of the photos, of a 10-month-old Shobha, went on to inspire the creation of the "utterly butterly" girl illustrated by Eustace Fernandes.

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In 1961, when the White Revolution had just begun, the company's ad agency was scouting for a baby girl to feature on its milk powder packet. After rejecting more than 700 entries, it selected baby Shobha Tharoor, making her one of the first Amul babies, as per Onmanorama. Later, when the ads went colour, her younger sister, Smita, became the first colour Amul baby.

Responding to the viral clip, Shobha Srinivasan confirmed on X that both she and her sister had appeared in Amul campaigns as babies, with their photographs taken by filmmaker Shyam Benegal. 

"Yes, I was the first Amul baby," Ms Srinivasan wrote. "Yes, #ShyamBenegal took the photos. My sister @SmitaTharoor was in the 2nd colour campaign."

She said that she was unsure whether her photograph directly inspired Mr Fernandes's later creation of the mascot.

Received a charming reel posted by @chiefsanjay from so many asking whether I inspired the UtterlButterly blue haired cherub. Yes I was the first Amul baby. Yes #ShyamBenegal took the photos. My sister @SmitaTharoor was in the 2nd colour campaign. We may have. But we don't know. pic.twitter.com/kIYvmqBYAp

— Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan (@ShobhaTharoor) August 21, 2025

The Amul Girl, designed in 1966 as a cheeky, blue-haired child in a red polka-dotted frock, was meant to rival Polson Butter's "soft" mascot. With the slogan "Utterly Butterly Delicious", she went on to front witty, topical ads that have run for over five decades. She has now appeared in more than 4,000 adverts capturing politics, sports, and pop culture.

Shashi Tharoor himself has previously written about his sisters being featured as Amul babies, and later appeared in a cartoon ad for the brand after entering politics.