Agencies | Mumbai:
Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have been served show-cause notices by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over their appearance in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement, with the regulator alleging that the campaign could amount to surrogate advertising for Vimal Pan Masala, a product prohibited in the state.
The notices have been issued as the Maharashtra FDA intensifies its crackdown on gutka, pan masala and other products containing tobacco or nicotine. The actors have been asked to explain their association with the advertisement and its alleged link to the Vimal Pan Masala brand.
According to the notices, the FDA has raised concerns that the advertisement creates an indirect association with Vimal Pan Masala by promoting the Vimal brand through an elaichi product.
The regulator has reportedly taken the view that although the advertisement promotes an elaichi product, its use of the Vimal brand could indirectly promote a pan masala product that is prohibited in Maharashtra.
The notices were served at different locations. Ajay Devgn received his notice at his residence in Juhu, while Shah Rukh Khan was served at his Bandra residence, Mannat. Tiger Shroff received the notice through his production company, Tiger Shroff Productions LLP.
The FDA has specifically referred to the Vimal brand’s association with pan masala while explaining the basis for its action.
According to an IANS report, the notice stated that, on examination of the advertisement, it “prima facie” appeared to promote the Vimal brand, which is primarily associated with pan masala.
The notice further referred to a prohibition order dated July 13, 2026, issued by the Commissioner of Food Safety, Maharashtra State, under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The order prohibits the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of the specified pan masala product in Maharashtra for a period of one year.
The notices seek explanations from the three actors regarding their participation in the advertisement and the circumstances surrounding the promotion.
The FDA has invoked Section 24 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which deals with misleading or deceptive advertisements relating to food products. The regulator has also referred to Section 53, under which misleading food advertisements can attract a penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh.
The show-cause notices do not, by themselves, establish liability or wrongdoing by the actors. Their responses will be considered as part of the regulatory process.
The action comes amid a broader enforcement drive by the Maharashtra FDA against violations of food-safety regulations.
The department has been conducting inspections and taking action against adulteration in food and milk, the sale of unhealthy food near educational institutions and the manufacture and sale of banned gutka and tobacco-based pan masala products.
The regulator has also stepped up inspections, seizures and enforcement proceedings against businesses and individuals found violating food-safety norms.
The notices to the three Bollywood stars highlight the increasing scrutiny of celebrity endorsements, particularly where advertisements for permitted products could allegedly create an indirect promotional link to products prohibited under food-safety regulations.
