New career for Salman Khan? Bollywood star's Dubai designs

He’s scaled tall towers in death-defying feats, rescued damsels in distress with his charm in check and single-handedly saved the world from total annihilation.

In reel-life, there is perhaps nothing that superstar Salman Khan hasn’t achieved on a whim and his trademark grin.

But the Bollywood actor is now set to slip into a new avatar as he turns jewellery designer for a brand that he is endorsing, which will also see him land in Dubai on Thursday for a store launch in Meena Bazaar.

While the fan frenzy in his wake is sure to bring traffic to a standstill in the neighbourhood, Dubai residents would soon be able to take home a piece of the Khan’s creative skillset with a signature jewellery collection that would also include the actor’s trademark turquoise bracelet that has featured in most of his blockbusters since 2003, when his father Salim Khan gifted it to his son.

“Salman Khan has signed on with us not only as our global brand ambassador over the next four years, but also as a creative designer for his 'Being Human' collection of jewellery that will be launched in Dubai within the next five months,” confirmed Saurabh Gadgil, Chairman, PNG Jewellers.

“The collection will be launched for the GCC market, catering to both male and female clientele with pieces in silver, gold and platinum. Proceeds from the sales of this collection will benefit Salman’s 'Being Human' charitable foundation,” he told Emirates 24|7.

“We all know how creative Salman is with his paintings; he will now put that to the test as he designs a few pieces for the jewellery collection; and yes, we will also officially retail his famous turquoise bracelet, which will be signed by the actor himself,” Gadgil added.

Khan is one of two iconic brand ambassadors for the 183-year-old jewellery house, with Madhuri Dixit being the other famous face representing PNG.

“The idea behind signing on two of the biggest stars in Bollywood was to symbolise the synergy that we share with these two famous names, both of which have reached the pinnacle of their careers and still retain their fanbase even today,” said Gadgil.

He added that Khan especially was an ideal fit for the GCC market keeping his followers in mind, which is not limited to the Asian diaspora alone, but also commands attention from Gulf-based Arabs.

“The added advantage of signing on Salman was two-fold, really: a superstar male as your brand ambassador draw in your main market of jewellery shoppers, which is largely women. However, Salman will also represent the line of male jewellery that we retail and will ideally bridge the gap across all genre of shoppers,” Gadgil added.

The company plans on increasing its retail footprint in the UAE to include up to six stores within two years, following Thursday’s launch, with a further GCC expansion on the cards to include Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

“Within five years, we expect 20 per cent of our annual sales to be generated from 15 stores across the globe, with the remaining 80 per cent to come from our flagship stores within India,” he said.

Talking about the UAE buyer profile, Gadgil added: “We already have some major players from the jewellery industry already established here. But what we noticed was a trend that divided the market further into retailers from South India, a few Sindhi-owned shops and those that cater to Arab clientele.

“There was a wide gap for retailers from Western India and our footprint was the ideal tread into the local market.”

Calling the UAE buyer “smart” and “won’t blindly follow without researching price and quality”, Gadgil said: “What UAE lacks is the traditional ‘family jeweller’ concept, which we will cater to very confidently.”

Where to meet Salman Khan in Dubai

Salman Khan will be at the PNG Jewellers store launch in Meena Bazaar on Thursday, February 19, at 5.30pm.

The actor will then head to the Four Seasons Resort to interact with media before attending an ‘invite-only’ gala dinner where a gold-plated cricket ball and two silver-plated footballs will be auctioned for charity.

“As part of our CSR activities and keeping in mind the love for cricket and football in the UAE, we will be auctioning all three items on the evening with the help of Salman, with 100 per cent of the proceeds benefiting a local charity in Dubai,” said Gadgil.

Also see: Movie Listings in UAE

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