The king of romance Shah Rukh Khan can be seen in a thrilling new action avatar in the latest Thums Up commercial, featuring the tagline – ‘soft drink nahin,toofan’. “We are proud of this iconic new partnership between SRK, for whom a billion hearts beat and Thums Up, the 45-year-young homegrown one billion dollar beverage brand,” says the brand. Shah Rukh says, “This campaign is truly special for me, as it gave me the chance to perform some really cool stunts and action sequences which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am exhilarated to be representing one of the most iconic Indian brands – Thums Up, as it resonates perfectly with my perspective of never giving up, irrespective of the many challenges life may throw at us. It is this attitude which transforms each one of us into a hero in our own fields.”

The commercial starts with an usher in a movie hall approaching a hooded SRK with ‘soft drinks’. The actor reacts by pointing to the big screen, where he can be seen performing intense and gritty action sequences on top of a train. It ends with SRK chugging down Thums Up and turning the bottle upside down, which is symbolic of the #PalatDe narrative that was built last year during the brand’s Olympics campaign.

“The message of the commercial is that of resilience and grit in the face of adversity, of showing a thumbs down to naysayers who don’t believe in you and put you down. The narrative conveys that there is a hero within us, born out of unwavering determination and that hard work is the foundation for creating one’s own destiny,” states the brand, adding, “Throughout his journey in Bollywood, Shah Rukh has been an inspiration to one and all. Starting out as an outsider, with no godfather in the industry, he overcame all odds to reach the pinnacle of success. Today, as a superstar he reigns over the hearts of people not just in India, but across the world. At the same time, Thums Up – which has been around since 1977 – is not a mere soft drink, but truly a toofan. It has been scaling new heights with its strong taste and by being a source of inspiration and strength for those who love the brand.”