Leading Bollywood and OTT stars are no longer relying on movies and entertainment to connect with audiences. From Sonakshi Sinha and Sameera Reddy to Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh, celebrities are hopping on to social platforms to leverage the growing influence of platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.
Take actor Sameera Reddy. After more than a decade-long hiatushe made her way back to the big screen this year with a political drama. Despite her time away from entertainment, she had amassed over 2 million followers on Instagram since 2020 with content on parenting, body positivity and wellness, working with brands such as Amazon and IndusInd Bank, among others. Reddy credits “authentic” content as the foundation of her social media rise.
“In 2020, I wanted to come back into the limelight and social media allowed me to do that, while continuing to be a hands-on mother,” she says. Her popular online persona as “messy mama” along with her mother-in-law “sassy saasu” found many takers on Instagram.
Shradha Agarwal, co-founder & global CEO, Grapes Worldwide, says that content creation has become one of the biggest equity builders for celebrities. “Audiences want to know about their favourite celebrity’s lifestyle, opinions, fitness routines and more. Google search trends show fans are actively seeking information beyond entertainment, making digital content a powerful tool for loyalty and deeper engagement,” she says, noting that from a brand perspective too, this means higher endorsement value.
There good money to be made on these platforms too. Farah Khan’s popular YouTube cooking and celebrity vlog channel, for instance, actively scouts for brand advertising and high-profile corporate collaborations. Her show featuring unscripted kitchen banter with her cook Dilip has drawn many commercial endorsements. Her episodes have featured products such as kitchen tools and cooking ingredients and brands such as Licious and Duolingo have blended seamlessly into her cooking routines.
All this didn’t come easy and viewers do take time to open up. Reddy has been unafraid to talk about mental health and post-partum challenges, while flaunting grey hair and skin sans make-up. “Initially, there was pushback on social media and some audiences didn’t respond well to this kind of authenticity. But today, people appreciate it and many more creators are keeping things raw and honest,” says Reddy.
Authenticity over reach
The nature of brand collaborations has also evolved on the back of a changing dynamic. Traditional celebrity endorsements on TV and print declined in 2025 by 22%, as per data from TAM AdEx. A recent report by Kroll also shows that digital endorsements now constitute 60%–75% of brand associations for leading celebrities.
Audiences respond well to creators who offer a value-add, which could be entertainment, health or just aspiration, making them more attractive to advertisers too. Says Sonam Bhagat, CEO of hyperlocal news creator platform, Vygr Media, “A celebrity who offers parenting advice, fitness realities or humour has a clearer long-term proposition than one who posts only promo clips and brand tags. If the feed becomes too heavy with sponsorships, audiences do not respond well,” she says. Celebrity creators with over 1 million followers can command large campaign packages crossing Rs 25 lakh.
That said, every celebrity doesn’t make a good influencer. Says Rajni Daswani, chief growth officer, people and business, SoCheers, “Staying relevant takes a little more work. Social media allows celebrities to build an extension of their personality and a direct relationship with audiences.” The strongest brand collaborations are the ones that work with the personality the celebrity has actually built, rather than simply borrowing their fame.