If you didn’t scrunch up your forehead and ask “who?” when I pitched you that headline, then you’re either better versed in world cinema than I am or just not the curious type.  But it’s true–Panasonic’s got a new pitchman for its Viera line of televisions, and it’s Ranbir Kapoor.

You may not know who he is, and it’s not surprising if you don’t, but Ranbir Kapoor is actually one of the biggest names in Bollywood right now.  Bollywood, in case you don’t know, is the Indian equivalent of Hollywood, and so this choice for pitchman makes some sense.

I emphasize some–while it’s somewhat widely known that Kapoor will not endorse a product he wouldn’t personally use, and that’s a great attribute for a pitchman to have, the problem here is that Kapoor’s appeal is somewhat limited.  Oh, sure, in and around the subcontinent, Ranbir Kapoor might well be the equivalent of Robert Pattinson.  But once you get out of Bollywood’s effective range, which as yet is a whole lot smaller than Hollywood’s, Kapoor’s name recognition falls through the floor.

So unless Panasonic’s planning on using Kapoor locally, this may be a bad idea.