By Jilawatan

She may no longer be the the face of brands like Coca-Cola and Nakshatra diamond jewellery in India, but Aishwarya Rai is still riding high on successful and long-standing international endorsements.

Aishwarya has completed nearly a decade of endorsing Swiss luxury watch brand Longines and international soap Lux. She has also been the brand ambassador of global haircare brand L’Oreal since 2003.

Noted ad-man Prahlad Kakkar says Aishwarya is sought by well-known brands because she is more than just an actress and is often perceived as an ambassador of India. “Aishwarya was never a big or major endorser of Indian products.

She has an impressive list of international brands to her name and that’s because she is not just an actress who can be judged on hits and flops, but the fact that she is a representative of the Indian woman and is an ambassador of the country,” Kakkar, who made her famous as Sanju in a 1993 TV commercial for Pepsi, told IANS on phone from Mumbai.