Manu Bhaker Being Approached For Brand Endorsements, Hikes Her Fee From Rs 20 Lakh To...

Manu Bhaker, the face of India's shooting contingent, has seen her popularity soar after her stellar performances at the Paris Olympics.

Already with two bronze medals - one in the 10m air pistol individual event and another in the mixed team event - Manu is now on the brink of securing a third medal in the 25m air pistol event. Her recent achievements have not only elevated her status as an athlete but also piqued immense interest from brands seeking endorsements.

According to a Times of India report, Manu has been approached by around 40 brands in the past few days alone. Although her primary focus remains on the ongoing Olympic Games, her agency has already sealed a few endorsement deals worth several crores. Previously, Manu charged a fee of Rs 20-25 lakh per endorsement. However, her recent success has skyrocketed her brand value, with her charges now soaring six to seven times higher. One endorsement deal, reportedly valued at Rs 1.5 crore, has already been finalised.

"We have got about 40-odd inquiries in just the last 2-3 days. We are focusing right now on the long-term association deals, and we have closed a couple of endorsements," said Neerav Tomar, CEO and MD of IOS Sports & Entertainment, the agency managing Manu.

"Her brand value, of course, has jumped five to six folds. So anything we were doing before was in the vicinity of Rs 20-25 lakhs, now it has gone to the region of about Rs 1.5 crore for one deal of endorsements. This is a one-year kind of engagement for a brand category with exclusivity."

While the primary focus is on securing long-term endorsements, Manu's team is also considering short-term digital engagement deals.

"There are also a lot of digital-engagement queries of shorter term-1 month, 3 months. But we are focusing on the long-term deals," Tomar added.

Manu's trajectory from the disappointment of the Tokyo Olympics to her current success at the Paris Games positions her as a rising national sporting brand, akin to Neeraj Chopra, whose Olympic gold medal turned him into an icon.

As Tomar noted, "At the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, we get a lot of medals in shooting. But then it just fizzles out. In the Olympics, you stand out, and with two medals you just completely outshine."