Mumbai (Rajeev Sharma): The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has sought explanations from Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their appearance in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement, amid concerns that the campaign could indirectly promote Vimal Pan Masala.
The regulator has issued show-cause notices to the actors as part of its examination of whether the advertisement crosses the line into surrogate promotion of a tobacco-related product.
Advertisement under regulatory lens
The FDA has raised questions about the way the Vimal brand is portrayed in the campaign. Officials are examining its branding, dialogue and presentation to determine whether viewers could associate the advertised elaichi product with Vimal Pan Masala.
Maharashtra has prohibited gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act. The ban, which has been in place since 2012 through periodic renewals, was most recently extended from July 13, 2026.
The notices issued to the actors invoke Sections 24 and 53 of the FSS Act. The latter provision allows penalties in cases involving misleading food advertisements, with fines potentially reaching Rs 10 lakh.
Previous dispute over Vimal advertising
The Vimal brand has previously been at the centre of a regulatory dispute over advertising.
In 2018, the Directorate General of Health Services issued a show-cause notice to Vishnu Pouch Packaging Private Limited in connection with the promotion of Vimal Elaichi. The company was accused of indirectly advertising tobacco products under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003.
The company contested the allegations, arguing that it did not manufacture a tobacco product carrying the Vimal brand for the Indian market.
The matter subsequently went through legal proceedings. In January 2024, the Delhi High Court rejected a DGHS appeal challenging trial court orders that had allowed the company to advertise its non-tobacco products.
The court had observed that the company could carry out business involving non-tobacco pan masala if such activity was legally and constitutionally permissible.
Notices seek clarification, not a finding of guilt
The current FDA action does not mean that the three actors have been found guilty of any violation.
The show-cause notices give the celebrities an opportunity to respond to the regulator’s concerns and explain their association with the advertisement.
The issue has once again brought celebrity endorsements and surrogate advertising into focus. Regulators have increasingly examined campaigns in which brands associated with tobacco products promote other goods using similar names, packaging or visual identities.
The Maharashtra FDA will consider the responses before deciding what further action, if any, is warranted in the matter.
