‘Crypto bole toh’: Bitcoin takes on gold for Diwali, helped by film stars

Ahead of Diwali, two of Bollywood’s leading men are pitching another option during India’s annual gold shopping spree: cryptocurrencies.

India’s top two crypto platforms have each tapped stars — one, Amitabh Bachchan, may be the most famous Indian actor of all time — to promote cryptocurrencies as a superior and easy investment ahead of Dhanteras, the auspicious first day of the holiday, when buyers traditionally splurge on gold. Indians have expanded their Diwali investments to include stocks, real estate, diamonds and other assets.

Cryptocurrency exchanges like Bangalore-based CoinSwitch Kuber and CoinDCX are touting Bitcoin as another option. In an advertisement for CoinSwitch, Ranveer Singh, star of some of the country’s biggest blockbusters, delivers a rap in Hindi about just how simple crypto trading can be.