Simhadri Srinivas, former Navy personnel, is the proud owner of Bajaj V bike. He did not know that the commercial in which he acted was telecast in satellite channels until a customer told him.
“The Bajaj company did not disclose the dates of telecast though I acted in it. I was awestruck when a customer told me the news,” says Mr. Srinivas, who joined Andhra Bank after retiring from the Navy.
It all started when the Bajaj decided to manufacture bikes using metal recovered from INS ‘Vikrant’, that was decommissioned in 1997. He was emotionally attached with Vikrant, which symbolised strength and maritime glory, having worked on the warship for three years from 1994-96. He dashed off a letter to Rahul Bajaj, Chairman of Bajaj group, urging him to take utmost care in manufacturing of bikes and see that no bike failed. Another mail went from him to Mr. Bajaj appreciating the designs, and request that first bike be delivered to him.
“Mr. Bajaj was kind enough. He obliged my request. Actually, they wanted to organise an event in Vijayawada but for my request, the bike was delivered to me at Nuzvid on March 23, 2016,” he recalls.
And, it did not end there. His speech at the Nuzvid event caught the attention of Mr. Bajaj, which eventually made him hero of commercial on Bajaj V bike. He was one of the six ex-navy men who underwent a rigmarole of screen and audition tests. Finally, Mr. Srinivas was selected for clarity in his voice and also for meeting other requirements. Finally, the film was shot on Tank Bund and Necklace Road in Hyderabad, he explains.
Ask him what was paid to him for acting in the commercial. It’s not about the payment, but honour and recognition. “I replaced a cine actor in the Bajaj V bike commercial. Now, the advertisement is being telecast in Hindi also,” he says.
Great feeling
Above all, when I ride the bike, it gives me feeling that I am still aboard INS Vikrant, he says with pride. You must have watched film Ghazi, a film about Pakistan submarine Ghazi, which was sent to destroy INS Vikrant. When I joined navy and worked in INS Vikrant, my seniors used to narrate it. He was working at Hansa base when the Kargil war broke out. He was honoured with Parakram award for his bravery in the war.
