Businessman Ashneer Grover, after participating in Shark Tank India as one of the investors, or “sharks” as they are known on the show, Ashneer became well-known. The former BharatPe MD recalls an incident involving none other than Bollywood’s Sultan, Salman Khan. Ashneer described an incident that occurred in 2019 when he requested Salman Khan to serve as the brand ambassador of his fintech business, which was still in its infancy.
In front of students at Lovely Professional University, Ashneer recounted a humorous yet informative story involving Salman Khan.
During his address, Ashneer emphasized the need for trust in a firm that involves monetary transactions. He stated that it was critical when he first began. Following this he mentioned, choosing Salman as ambassador to generate trust.
He had to manage the entire firm with only about Rs. 100 crore in his bank account. He considered making Salman Khan his brand ambassador in order to acquire the trust of prospective users and customers. When asked about Salman Khan’s endorsement money, his manager stated that it was Rs. 7.5 crore. Ashneer calculated that, in addition to the endorsement price, he would have to pay for commercial production, publicity, and other expenses.
This is when Salman Khan’s manager asks Ashneer, “Aap bhindi khareedne aaye ho kya?” Ashneer recounts. ‘How much will you bargain for?’ I replied, ‘I don’t have the money to give.”
He did his best to secure Salman’s appointment as his company’s ambassador despite his limited budget. After a few rounds of haggling, they agreed on a price of Rs. 4.5 crore. Ashneer added that because of the way he negotiated,. Ashneer insisted repeatedly that he didn’t have the money to pay the management. The company eventually reached its pinnacle during the lockdown as more and more people began to conduct business digitally in order to avoid making physical contact.
