Anushka Sharma named brand icon of the year

Anushka Sharma's rising popularity in Bollywood is there for all to see, but the actress is also making waves in the brand endorsement arena. The "Band Baaja Baaraat" girl was named the brand icon of the year at an award function here Monday night.

Anushka, who forayed into Bollywood with "Rabb Ne Bana Di Jodi", was honoured as the celebrity endorser Reliance Communications Limited at the NDTV Good Times Gadget Guru Awards Monday.

Anushka was appointed the ambassador for the brand in 2011. As part of the association, she featured in four fun-loving television commercials. But she wasn't present to collect her award at the event, held at the Kingdom Of Dreams in Gurgaon.

The event, hosted by NDTV's tech gurus Rajiv Makhni and Vikram Chandra, along with actress Gul Panag, saw awards being given across 18 categories for the most innovative and clutter breaking gadgets and gizmos in 2011.

So what if Anushka wasn't present. The bit of Bollywood quotient was added by Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandes, Asin Thottumkal and director Sajid Khan, who came to promote their forthcoming film "Housefull 2", releasing April 5.

Also present at the event was Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Kapil Sibal.