Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a show-cause notice to Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgan and Tiger Shroff for their indirect or surrogate advertisement and promotion of Vimal Pan masala.
Maharashtra has ordered a statewide ban on tobacco and products containing it for one year, citing public health concerns and safety regulations. The order prohibits the manufacture, storage, distribution, and sale of pan masala within Maharashtra,
The three actors are now under scrutiny for their joint advertisement promoting Elaichi, or cardamom, made by Vimal, a brand known for its Pan masala in 2024.
The show-cause notice issued by the FDA chief Tukaram Mundhe on August 11 directs the actors to immediately discontinue their participation in the ad campaign and remove all the promotional content from the official social media handles.
"Upon examination of the said advertisement, it prima facie appears that the advertisement promotes the VIMAL brand, which is mainly associated with Pan Masala, a product prohibited for manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale in the State of Maharashtra," Mundhe said in the nine-page notice, NDTV reported.
Mundhe said that the Vimal Elaichi ad resembled and was used in a way that appeared to create an association with the VIMAL pan masala brand.
He said that this may mislead consumers and indirectly promote the prohibited product,
"If the use of the “VIMAL” brand under the name of Elaichi or a similar product is intended to maintain, reinforce or enhance the brand identity and consumer attraction associated with Pan Masala/tobacco related products, such communication may not merely constitute an advertisement for an independent product, but may amount to indirect or surrogate promotion of a prohibited/restricted product," the notice said.
The actors have also been asked to submit the final copies of their endorsement agreements, campaign briefs, payment arrangements, and proof of due diligence.
Under consumer protection laws, misleading endorsements can attract a penalty ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh. They can also be banned from endorsing any product for up to three years.
In 2022, actor Akshay Kumar withdrew himself from the Vimal Elaichi ads after fan backlash. He apologised to his fans and said that he would step back and contribute his endorsement deal fee towards a worthy cause.
