Priyanka-Sreesanth affair a publicity gimmick

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There's nothing fishy between paceman Sreesanth and Priyanka Chopra. The much-televised telephonic conversations - Sreesanth telling Priyanka how crazy he is about her, that the mere mention of her name makes him go weak at the knees - were part of an ad campaign for Lux soaps.

Kedar Apte, marketing manager, Lux Franchise, confirms that it was a planned move. Priyanka Chopra admits she enjoyed it.

"It was an innovative idea, and I hope it works for the brand." It seems to have given the media hype and speculation that resulted as soon as the tapes were made public. A week before the film's release, a steamy MMS clip, showing the couple kissing and undressing, came into circulation. It was only when the film released that people realised it was a sequence from the film. Though the film bombed, producer Pritish Nandy says the trick worked.

"There's so much noise about Bollywood that it's a constant challenge to be heard. For Ek Haseena... the MMS clip proved an efficient tool."

Yet, he thinks the soap act is a sign for caution. "The fact that Lux had to think of such a gimmick to draw attention to two big names from Bollywood and cricket simply envisages the fatigue level."

Ad-man Prah1ad Kakkar calls it poetic justice. "If the media can show Rakhi Sawant slapping her boyfriend and viewers can watch it, then Sree cozying up with Priyanka is a terrific idea."

Coming up, is another such gimmick from a mobile phone brand, reveals an ad executive from a prominent ad agency "The creative has been designed and the first part will be rolled out by the next month."