John Abraham is already doing a good job as brand ambassador of Arunachal Pradesh

John Abraham has been roped in as the brand ambassador of Arunachal Pradesh Tourism and he says he has always been fascinated with Northeast India. I am honored to have been chosen to promote the tourism of Arunachal Pradesh. I have always been fascinated with northeast India: each state has its unique beauty, history and culture. “It (Arunachal) is a state rich with culture, mysticism, great people and stunning views. When I’m there, all I need is some music, my boots to walk around and a mind free from all worries to be able to embrace the mesmerising beauty of Arunachal Pradesh,” said John. The state’s Tourism Department has, with the help of Viacom18, has roped in popular action hero and Bollywood superstar as its brand ambassador. [caption id=“attachment_187894” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters image.[/caption] John’s love for the Northeast has often been highlighted through his immense support to the region. Besides owning the Northeast football team, John has supported the seven sisters through his participation in “Run for North East”, a marathon hosted earlier in January. Abraham further said, “I just told (state Tourism Secretary Joram) Dr Bedathat I would like to take an entire film to Arunacahal Pradesh. He then corrected me by asking me not to shoot an entire film, but to take one schedule. I am excited to explore this. We are responsible as film makers and we hope it grows in the arena of tourism. Rangoon (Vishal Bardwaj’s film with Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut) was shot there and we hope even we shoot our film there,” John said here. It is quite unlike a Bollywood actor to take a strong stand about political matters. While previously actors and actresses have been brand ambassadors for various states, they merely shoot an ad glorifying its potential and refrain from making any statements about it. Diplomacy is the order of the day for actors from the film industry. John Abraham has broken this mould. The actor also feels the region has been alienated. Historically and geographically we have alienated the northeast from the rest of India. I think it’s really sad. I think it’s high time that we include the northeast in India. Previously, we’ve seen Amitabh Bachchan promote Gujarat through various TV ads, while Shah Rukh Khan was seen as the brand ambassador for West Bengal. Aamir Khan was approached to endorse Chhatisgarh, but in the meanwhile, he has been the face of Incredible India. (With inputs from agencies)