Mumbai: Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has issued nine page show cause notices to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their endorsement of Vimal Elaichi, alleging that the campaign amounts to illegal surrogate advertising of pan masala.
The actors have been directed to respond within 15 days, remove all promotional content related to the campaign from their social media accounts and explain their role in the advertisements. The case has also been forwarded to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) for further action.
The FDA argues that although Vimal Elaichi is a legal mouth freshener, its advertisements use the same branding, colours, logo and visual identity as Vimal Pan Masala, a product whose advertising is prohibited. Authorities say this reinforces brand recall for the restricted tobacco related product and violates laws against misleading promotions.
The notices cite Section 24 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which prohibits misleading food advertisements, along with the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, requiring advertisements to be truthful and non deceptive.
If regulators find the endorsements violate the law, the celebrities could face penalties of up to ₹10 lakh, a temporary ban on endorsing products under the Consumer Protection Act, and directions to issue corrective advertisements withdrawing the campaign.
Akshay Kumar had distanced himself from the Vimal Elaichi campaign in 2022 after widespread public criticism. He publicly apologised, withdrew as brand ambassador and announced that his endorsement fee would be donated to a charitable cause.
He later clarified that advertisements featuring him continued to air only because they had been filmed before his withdrawal under a pre existing contractual agreement. Since he formally exited the endorsement, he is not part of the current FDA proceedings involving the ongoing campaign.
Sorry, there was a YouTube error.
