It has been an ongoing hot topic if celebrities should associate themselves with tobacco-based brands. A recent ad featuring the surprise trio of Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff and Shah Rukh Khan had gone viral, and not for good reasons. The Maharashtra FDA had issued a show-cause notice to the three actors. As per the case, the three actors are allegedly indirectly promoting (surrogate advertising) Vimal Pan Masala under the safe banner of Vimal Elaichi.
In Maharashtra, the promotion of Vimal Pan Masala is prohibited as the actual product is banned from manufacturing in the state. Pertaining to that, an Indian Advertising brand is disallowed from promoting or marketing a legally forbidden product. As per the investigation carried out by the FDA, the advertisement promotes Vimal which is also associated with pan.
The show-cause letters were directly delivered to their houses with Ajay receiving his at his Juhu residence, Shah Rukh at his new Bandra residence and Tiger receiving it through his production company.
What specially triggered the FDA is the fact that the endorsements by them would be very influential considering their celebrity status. When the ad first aired, there was a lot of controversies surrounding the actors and their association with the brand. Akshay Kumar was one such celebrity who had faced backlash of a similar nature back in 2022 but quickly backed down following it.
The show-cause does not directly mean that the actors are proven guilty. The FDA expects the actors to submit a formal letter through which they can explain their role in the advertisement and state a reason as to why legal actions should not be taken against them.
Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have since submitted their official replies within the 15-day deadline. However, Shah Rukh Khan is yet left to reply, following the passing of the deadline.
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