Tukaram Mundhe Questions Celebrities Over Paan and Gutka Endorsements
Maharashtra FDA chief Tukaram Mundhe questioned celebrity endorsements of paan and gutka products amid notices issued in the Vimal Elaichi advertisement case.
Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has questioned celebrities who endorse paan and gutka-related products, arguing that public figures should consider the responsibility attached to what they promote.
Speaking at an event, Mundhe said celebrities endorsing such products should be willing to consume them themselves and recommend them to their own families before encouraging the public to do so. His blunt argument was essentially: if the product is good enough for everyone else, why not make it a family affair?
His comments came after the Maharashtra FDA issued show-cause notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their appearance in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement. The FDA alleged that the campaign could amount to surrogate or indirect promotion of prohibited pan masala or tobacco-related products.
Mundhe rejected the argument that actors are merely the faces of advertisements and therefore have no responsibility for what they promote. He said endorsements involve more than lending a celebrity image and that public figures should understand the products and claims associated with campaigns they support.
The notices, issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and related regulations, gave the actors 15 days to respond. Mundhe later said all three had responded, with two seeking a hearing.
