Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have responded to Maharashtra FDA notices over the Vimal Elaichi advertisement.
Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said two of the three actors also sought hearings, and both hearings are now over.
The notices were issued over the actors’ appearance in a pan masala ad alleged to be surrogate advertising.
Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn And Tiger Shroff Respond To Maharashtra FDA Notices In Vimal Elaichi Ad Case
The FDA asked the actors to explain their role as brand endorsers and sought contracts, campaign briefs, remuneration details and due diligence records.
Summary
Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have replied to Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration notices linked to their Vimal Elaichi advertisement. The authority is now taking the matter forward.
Two of the three actors asked for a hearing. Those hearings are now complete, Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe told reporters in Mumbai, ANI reported.
FDA proceeds in Vimal ad case
"Regarding those notices, responses from all three have come. Two of them had asked for a hearing. Their hearing was finished yesterday, and we are proceeding further," Mundhe said.
The case comes weeks after the Maharashtra FDA issued show-cause notices to Khan, Devgn and Shroff over their appearance in a pan masala ad. The authority said the campaign amounts to surrogate advertising for Vimal Pan Masala, which Maharashtra prohibits.
What the FDA show-cause notices said
The notices sought an explanation from Khan, Devgn and Shroff on their roles as brand endorsers. The FDA also asked why it should not start legal action against them over the campaign.
The authority sought a set of documents tied to the endorsements. These included contracts, campaign briefs, remuneration details and evidence of due diligence carried out before the actors agreed to appear in the advertisement.
The notice also recorded the FDA’s initial view of the campaign. It said the advertisement "prima facie appears" to promote the Vimal brand, which is mainly linked to pan masala.
Ban and deadline
Pan masala cannot be sold in Maharashtra. The FDA cited a prohibition order from the Commissioner of Food Safety as the basis for its action.
The actors had 15 days to send written replies with supporting papers. The FDA also told them to end their role in the campaign.
The FDA ordered the actors to remove promotional material linked to the advertisement from their official social media accounts.
The regulator says the case sits within its wider check on surrogate advertising. It is looking at whether elaichi is being used in ads to preserve a link with a pan masala brand that cannot be promoted legally in the state.
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