Mumbai, 5th March, 2010:  Bollywood star Aamir Khan has signed a deal with a UAE-based telecommunications service provider for a astounding Rs 35 crore -- the highest sum,a Bollywood celebrity has ever received for endorsement so far.Reports say it is a two-year contract during which period Khan will make himself available for an allotted number of media shoots, press advertisements and personal appearances.

Advertisement guru Prahlad Kakkar, who directed Aamir for his first cola commercial in 1993 (for which the actor was paid a `meagre' Rs 17 lakh), reacted, saying, "That is a hell of a lot of money to pay. He has indeed come a long way. But it isn't surprising; he brings a great degree of single-minded exclusivity to a brand.”

Advertising circles, however, are taken aback by the new high in commercial fees because the last highest amount reportedly paid to four Bollywood names -- Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan -- for their hosiery endorsements is said to be in the range of Rs 12 crore to Rs 15 crore. A leading ad producer, however, said there could be an explanation: the general spurt in endorsement fees in the last year. "Even someone as young as Ranbir Kapoor, the latest kid on the block, is said to have been lapped up for Rs 7 crore for a two-year-deal by another advertiser," he said.

Aamir's own earlier contracts for a biscuit, a cola, a car, an FMCG, a watch maker and a satellite TV service provider are all reportedly in the range of Rs 12 crore; so, by even his own standards, his fees have almost tripled. Trade insiders attributed Aamir's rising stock in ad circles to his recent box-office successes.

Aamir himself neither denied nor confirmed his latest endorsement fee. "I enjoy doing my ads. And I'm choosy about the brands and the creative team that works on them. I work as hard on my ads as I do on my films," he said.