The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Sunday issued show-cause notices to Bollywood icons Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff, seeking their explanation after they featured in an advertisement for Vimal Elaicihi. The state-level regulatory body alleged that the trio’s campaign indirectly promotes pan masala, a product prohibited across Maharashtra. 

The actors have been provided a period of 15 days to explain their position. The body has also instructed them to immediately discontinue their participation in the campaign and take down promotional material linked to the advertisement from their official social media accounts. 

FDA flags ‘Surrogate promotion’

The trio featured together in a Vimal advertisement promoting elaichi (Cardamom) in 2024. However, the food safety regulator, led by Tukaram Mundhe, which has garnered headlines over the past few months for stringent food-safety violations across the state, said the ad appeared to associate the Vimal Elaichi brand with Vimal Pan Masala.

The body served a nine-page notice to the trio, saying the use of the expression ‘VIMAL Elaichi,’ appeared to create an association with the Vimal Pan Masala brand. It further said the advertisement could potentially mislead consumers and indirectly promote the identity of a prohibited product. 

The notice also referred to Maharashtra’s prohibition on the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of pan masala in the state, citing public health and safety regulations. 

The FDA added that if the Vimal brand name was being used for elaichi to maintain, enhance as well as reinforce the brand identity associated with pan masala or tobacco-related products, the communication could amount to an indirect or surrogate promotion rather than merely advertising an independent product. 

FDA seeks endorsement details

In its notice, the FDA also sought copies of the actors’ endorsement agreements, campaign briefs, payment arrangements and documents showing that due diligence was conducted before the ads were released. The notice invoked consumer protection laws under which misleading endorsements could attract penalties ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh. 

Besides this, endorsers may also face restrictions on promoting products for up to 3 years, given the applicable provisions. 

Akshay Kumar had apologised back in 2022

Notably, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, in 2022, drew immense flak after appearing in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn. Following the backlash, Kumar apologised to his fans and said he had never endorsed and would not endorse tobacco. 

He then announced that he was stepping back from the association and would donate his endorsement fee to a worthy cause. During that time, Kumar said the brand could continue airing the ads until the legally binding contract expired, and promised to be more careful about his future choices.