Bollywood celebrities aren’t just peddling dreams but also dream homes. Real estate developers are now banking on the star power of the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai to endorse their projects.

Deepika Padukone is the latest to join these marquee names flogging property. Aspire Real Estate, a Dubai-based developer, has signed the actress to be its brand ambassador.

"We are targeting India, and Deepika will add to our brand equity," said an Aspire spokesperson.

The trend to have celebrities – from tinsel town and elsewhere – endorse real estate projects started about two years ago. Big banner draws such as Shah Rukh, Aishwarya, Bachchan and even sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons represent the likes of DLF, Sahara and Omaxe, while a host of smaller developers have also started signing up celebrities to flog their projects.

Thus, Pune-based Brahma Developers uses actress Katrina Kaif to promote its SunCity project; Chandigarh-based LVL City has signed up cricketer Yuvraj Singh; Chadha Group has former cricketer Kapil Dev; AEZ group has actress Perizaad Zorabian while TV star Shweta Tiwari of Kasauti Zindagi Ki fame is the brand ambassador for Gaursons Developers.