Shah Rukh, Ajay, Tiger Shroff get FDA notices over ad

Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have been served show-cause notices by Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over an advertisement for Vimal Elaichi, which authorities say may indirectly promote pan masala banned in the state.

The three actors appeared together in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement in 2024. Maharashtra Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe issued the notices on Aug 11, directing the actors to immediately stop participating in the campaign and remove promotional material related to the advertisement from their official social media accounts.

According to the nine-page notice, the advertisement appears to promote the Vimal brand, which is primarily associated with pan masala, the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of which are prohibited in Maharashtra.

Mundhe said the use of the name “Vimal Elaichi” in the advertisement appears to create a connection with the Vimal pan masala brand and could mislead consumers or indirectly promote the identity of a prohibited product.

The notice said that if the use of the Vimal brand for elaichi or a similar product is intended to maintain or strengthen its association with pan masala or tobacco-related products, the campaign could amount to surrogate promotion of a restricted product rather than an advertisement for an independent product.

The FDA chief also asked the actors to provide complete copies of their endorsement agreements, campaign briefs, payment details and documents showing that due diligence had been carried out before joining the campaign.

The action was taken under consumer protection laws and Maharashtra’s prohibition on pan masala. Authorities said misleading endorsements could result in fines ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh, while endorsers could also be barred from promoting products for up to three years.

Mundhe has been leading enforcement efforts against the manufacture and sale of gutka and other banned tobacco products in Maharashtra.

The latest action is not the first controversy involving Bollywood stars and the Vimal Elaichi campaign.

In 2022, actor Akshay Kumar apologised after facing widespread criticism for appearing alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement.

At the time, Kumar said he did not endorse tobacco products and announced that he would withdraw from the campaign. He also said he would donate his endorsement fee to a charitable cause.

He added that the advertisement could continue to be broadcast for the duration of his existing contractual obligations but promised to be more careful about his future endorsements.