Amid FDA notice row, here’s recalling when Ajay Devgn reacted to elaichi brand endorsement, Shah Rukh Khan defended endorsing controversial products: ‘I’m an actor, I’m supposed to do a job and earn from it’

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reignited a contentious debate surrounding celebrity endorsements, particularly those involving products that some deem harmful. Recent notices issued to prominent actors Ajay Devgn, Shah Rukh Khan, and Tiger Shroff have brought their past statements on such associations back into the spotlight. The FDA’s action targets an advertisement for an elaichi (cardamom) brand, alleging it serves as a subtle, or surrogate, promotion for Vimal Pan Masala, a product banned in Maharashtra.

Ajay Devgn, whose involvement in similar elaichi endorsements has been a subject of discussion before, previously articulated his perspective in an interview with Screen. Without directly naming the brand, he emphasized the notion of "personal choice" and the consideration of a product’s potential harm. Devgn suggested that if certain items are truly detrimental, the focus should be on banning their sale entirely, rather than solely scrutinizing advertisements. His argument implies a belief that if a product is legally available, endorsing it falls within a celebrity’s professional purview.

Shah Rukh Khan has also weighed in on the broader issue of celebrities endorsing products considered controversial, referencing cigarettes and soft drinks in a conversation with CNN-IBN. His stance is quite direct: if authorities genuinely deem a product harmful, they should prohibit its production and sale. Khan argued that banning products solely due to public perception while allowing their manufacture to continue for revenue generation is hypocritical. He asserted that if the government benefits from the sale of these items, then actors, who earn their living by performing, should not be penalized for their endorsements. His argument is essentially that if a product contributes to government revenue, then an actor’s earnings from endorsing it should also be accepted.

Tiger Shroff, another actor implicated in the current FDA action, has yet to publicly comment on the matter. The ongoing scrutiny by the Maharashtra FDA reflects a broader effort to combat the sale and consumption of gutka and pan masala products containing tobacco or nicotine. The regulatory body is particularly concerned that the use of the Vimal brand name and imagery in an elaichi advertisement creates an indirect but strong association with the pan masala product, effectively serving as a form of surrogate advertising that allows the prohibited brand to maintain visibility. This situation highlights the complex ethical and legal landscape Bollywood actors navigate when choosing their endorsements.