Shah Rukh Khan in Jawan pulls a surprise with his smartphone, brand loyalty put on test

This is an oops moment for Realme, a brand that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan endorses in real life. Why? Because on reel, in one of his biggest moments of his Bollywood life, Shah Rukh Khan is seen using a Poco phone in his latest movie, Jawan. The film is lighting up the screens and winning over both audiences and critics. But here's the twist that's grabbing the attention of tech enthusiasts: SRK is spotted using a Poco phone in the film, which has sparked quite a conversation.

Why's that a big deal? Well, SRK is a brand ambassador for Realme, and Poco and Realme happen to be competitors in the smartphone market. It's like a plot twist in the tech world, and fans are buzzing about it. The phone in question: Poco X4 Pro.

So, what happened here? India Today tech reached out to both Realme and Poco to understand what’s going on with the smartphone Shah Rukh Khan is using in Jawan. Poco refused to comment on the issue, while Realme is yet to offer their input. If we do get some comments from these brands, we will update the copy accordingly.

Irrespective, the Jawan moment seems like a coup for the brand Poco. Given the eyeballs and attention the movie is grabbing at the moment, Poco surely has found its phone in the right moment at the right time.

So, why Poco and not Realme? Chances are that Shah Rukh Khan, the Realme brand ambassador, is using a Poco phone in Jawan probably because Poco — a Xiaomi brand — has a product placement deal with the producers of the film. That’s the best explanation.

The practice is not uncommon. Actors often showcase devices in movies, often as part of sponsorship deals with production houses. Take, for instance, Alia Bhatt, who was seen with the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in "Rocky Rani Ki Prem Kahaani." This wasn't a coincidence; it was a result of her collaboration with Samsung in 2022, when they launched the Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 4 series. Samsung even officially announced the campaign featuring Alia Bhatt, showing how such partnerships lead to on-screen tech appearances.

Realme roped in Shah Rukh Khan as the brand ambassador in May, this year. “We are extremely excited to have Shah Rukh Khan on board as the brand ambassador for the realme smartphone category. His dare-to-leap spirit perfectly resonates with our brand’s philosophy," Tao, Chief Marketing Officer, Realme India had said about onboarding Shah Rukh as the new face of the brand.

Now some eagle-eyed cinegoers on Twitter have shared pictures where SRK can be seen using the Poco X4 Pro, a phone that launched in the market in April 2022. This brings us to another point. It is possible that the footage shown in the movie was shot before Shah Rukh Khan inked his deal with Realme.

Talking of Realme, the company has experienced a significant shakeup in its top-level management. Recently, the country head of Realme, Madhav Sheth, made his exit to spearhead the return of Honor to the Indian market. Soon, a number of other high-ranking executives followed suit and they too left Realme to join the Honor team.