Mumbai/Hyderabad, Aug 16 (Maxim News): 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 a Vimal Elaichi advertisement.
The regulator has alleged that the advertisement could amount to indirect or surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, which is prohibited in Maharashtra. The action comes amid the state FDA’s wider crackdown on gutka and tobacco or nicotine-containing pan masala products.
The notices were issued this week. Devgn received the notice at his Juhu residence, while Khan was served at Mannat in Bandra. Shroff received the notice through his production company, Tiger Shroff Productions LLP.
FDA Seeks Explanation From Bollywood Stars
The FDA said its examination of the advertisement found that the use of the Vimal brand could create an association with Vimal Pan Masala. The regulator has asked the actors to explain their involvement in the campaign.
The actors have also been directed to discontinue their participation in the campaign and remove related promotional material from their official social media accounts. They have been given 15 days to respond and can seek a personal hearing.
The FDA has invoked Section 24 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which deals with misleading or deceptive food advertisements. It has also cited Section 53, which provides for a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh for those involved in publishing misleading food advertisements.
The Maharashtra government’s latest prohibition order restricts the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of prohibited pan masala products in the state for one year.
The notices are part of the Maharashtra FDA’s intensified enforcement drive against prohibited gutka and pan masala products. The regulator has also been conducting inspections and seizures to curb violations of food safety regulations.
The controversy also recalls the Vimal Elaichi advertisement controversy involving Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn in 2022. Kumar later apologised and announced that he would step back from the association.
The three actors’ responses to the latest notices are now awaited.
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