The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued show-cause notices to Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their appearance in advertisements for Vimal Elaichi. The regulator has raised concerns that the campaign could amount to surrogate advertising for Vimal Pan Masala, a product prohibited in Maharashtra.
According to reports, the FDA has questioned whether the branding and presentation of Vimal Elaichi create an association with the Vimal Pan Masala brand. The regulator has said that the advertisement appears, prima facie, to promote a brand mainly associated with a prohibited pan masala product.
The notices have been issued amid a wider crackdown by the Maharashtra FDA on products containing tobacco and nicotine, as well as advertisements that may indirectly promote such products. The action is being examined under provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and related rules concerning misleading advertisements.
The three actors have been asked to explain their involvement in the promotional campaign. Reports say they have also been directed to remove the relevant promotional content from their social media platforms within 15 days.
The FDA’s action does not mean that the actors have already been found guilty or fined. The notices seek their explanation before any further regulatory action is considered.
The development has renewed debate over celebrity endorsements and surrogate advertising, particularly when brands use products such as elaichi or mouth fresheners to maintain visibility of brands associated with tobacco or pan masala.
