Endorsing Vimal Elaichi may prove costly for Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff, as they now face the prospect of being slapped with a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh. Maharashtra Food and Drug (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe (IAS:2005:MH) confirmed it, saying the three actors may attract a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh if their responses to the notices in the Vimal Elaichi ad case are found unsatisfactory.
The FDA had recently served show-cause notices to the three actors, alleging that they violated rules by endorsing Vimal Elaichi, from the house of a famous ghutkha brand, as it was an indirect promotion of pan masala and tobacco-linked products prohibited in Maharashtra.
The notices were issued under provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the actors have been given 15 days to submit their written explanations.
According to Mundhe, the Vimal Elaichi campaign may create an association with the Vimal Pan Masala brand and thus falls within the ambit of surrogate advertising. He said such promotions could indirectly advertise products whose manufacturing, distribution, and sale are banned in Maharashtra.
Mundhe pointed out that the FDA had been examining the advertisements, as surrogate, false, and misleading advertising is prohibited under existing regulations in the state. He warned that if the explanations given by the actors are not found satisfactory, they will be fined a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh initially, followed by further actions.
The FDA Commissioner had already made it clear that everyone involved in the advertising chain, including brand ambassadors and celebrity endorsers, can be held accountable if advertisements are found to violate food safety regulations.
Mundhe’s latest action is part of a broader regulatory drive against both food businesses and advertising practices under him, and his action against Bollywood stars in the Vimal Elaichi case has reignited an old debate over celebrity endorsements of products linked to tobacco and pan masala brands.
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