Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have come under regulatory scrutiny in India over their endorsement of Vimal Elaichi, with authorities alleging that the advertisements amount to surrogate promotion of a prohibited pan masala product.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued show-cause notices to the three actors, alleging that advertisements for Vimal Elaichi indirectly promote Vimal Pan Masala, which is prohibited in Maharashtra.
According to Indian media reports, the actors have been given 15 days to submit written explanations, provide details of their endorsement agreements and remove promotional content related to the product from their social media accounts.
The notices were issued under Sections 24 and 53 of India’s Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which deal with misleading advertisements and related penalties. Violations can attract fines of up to INR 1 million.
The action centres on what regulators describe as “surrogate advertising” — the promotion of a permitted product using the branding of another product whose advertising or sale is restricted.
The three actors are also facing proceedings in a separate consumer case in Jaipur.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Jaipur-II, has reportedly summoned Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff and the chairman of the company manufacturing the product over a complaint challenging claims made in the advertisement.
The complaint takes issue with the tagline “dane dane mein hai kesar ka dum,” which broadly translates to “the strength of saffron in every grain.”
The complainant has argued that the claim is misleading, questioning how a product sold for around INR 5 per pouch could contain saffron of the quality suggested in the advertisement when genuine saffron can cost around INR 400,000 per kilogram.
Shah Rukh Khan has not publicly responded to the latest notice. However, he has previously defended celebrity endorsements of legally manufactured products, arguing that if authorities consider such products harmful, they should prohibit their manufacture and sale rather than single out actors who advertise them.
The controversy has also drawn criticism from within the Indian entertainment industry. Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna has backed the regulatory action and criticised leading actors for endorsing products he says can negatively influence the public.
