Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; November 16, 2015)

The debacle of his last directorial venture, Shaandaar, seems to have proved costly for Vikas Bahl. According to the grapevine, the filmmaker had been approached to endorse a new cellphone brand, but given the film’s lacklustre performance at the box office, the makers cancelled the deal.

Says a source, “Vikas earned lot of popularity and respect after Queen (2014) won critical as well as commercial acclaim. To top it all, the film won a National Award. So, this particular company was excited about signing him as their brand ambassador. After initial talks, they wanted to go ahead with the deal. However, it has now fallen through.”

The brand is said to be looking for another popular director now. “They are clear about having a filmmaker on board, instead of an actor. Although they are yet to finalise their brand ambassador, we hear Vikas was dropped after Shaandaar tanked at the box office and his image took a bit of a beating.”

Vikas remained unavailable for comment.