Maharashtra FDA Issues Notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff Over Vimal Elaichi Ad

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued show-cause notices to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff for their involvement in an advertisement for Vimal Elaichi, a product marketed by a pan masala company. The notices, issued on August 11 by the state's food safety chief Tukaram Mundhe, allege that the advertisement amounts to indirect promotion of pan masala, which is prohibited in Maharashtra.

The actors were directed to immediately cease participation in the campaign and remove all related promotional content from their official social media handles. The nine-page notice, accessed by NDTV, states that the advertisement prima facie promotes the Vimal brand, which is mainly associated with pan masala, a product banned for manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, and sale within the state.

Mundhe noted that the phrase 'VIMAL Elaichi' has been used in a manner that appears to create an association with the VIMAL Pan Masala brand. This, he said, may mislead consumers and indirectly promote the brand identity of the prohibited product. The notice invokes the state-wide prohibition order that was enacted citing public health and safety regulations.

"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.

Mundhe, who has been actively cracking down on the manufacture and sale of gutka and other banned tobacco products, has also demanded full copies of the actors' endorsement agreements, campaign briefs, payment arrangements, and proof of due diligence from the actors.

Under the consumer protection laws cited in the notice, misleading endorsements can attract penalties ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh, and endorsers can be barred from promoting any product for up to three years.

This is not the first time such an advertisement has drawn scrutiny. In 2022, actor Akshay Kumar faced public backlash after appearing in a similar ad for Vimal Elaichi alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn. Kumar later issued a public apology on X (formerly Twitter), stating that he had not and would not endorse tobacco products. He said he respected the feelings of his fans and decided to contribute the entire endorsement fee to a worthy cause. He also promised to be more mindful in his future choices.

The current notices indicate that the Maharashtra FDA is continuing its efforts to regulate surrogate advertising of tobacco and pan masala products. The actors have been given 15 days to respond to the notices.