Byju’s stops Shah Rukh Khan related promotions over Aryan Khan’s arrest in drug case

Byju’s has paused all Shah Rukh Khan related promotions for now following his son Aryan Khan’s arrest in a drug case last weekend. The edtech was one of the largest sponsorship deals for the actor, which was pegged at an annual fee of Rs 3-4 crore. Shah Rukh Khan has been the brand ambassador for Byju’s since 2017.

A source says Byju’s paused all SRK-related promotions for now. “It had to be pulled as the company which is in the area of education wouldn’t like to be seen in promotions with him given the controversy over the drug case involving his son,” the person said. “It is not clear if Byju’s has decided to drop SRK as a brand ambassador. These ads were booked in advance, as is the process, so it took some time to stop all of them.”

Another person told ET that Byju’s had launched a new ad campaign with the Bollywood superstar less than three weeks ago. “For Byju’s, they had planned for IPL ads too and now there is discomfort around that as the tournament moves to its next stage. It’s not clear if they will be able to pull out of all IPL promotions,” the person said.

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The Bengaluru-based startup has been expanding at a fast pace in India as well as abroad besides making several big-ticket acquisitions like Aakash Institute, the brick-and-mortar coaching network. Byju’s is currently the most valued startup with a valuation of about $18 billion. The edtech raised $300 million earlier this week as part of an ongoing funding round.