Actor Mukesh Khanna has backed the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) show-cause notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their Vimal Elaichi advertisement, saying the three actors should publicly apologise for promoting a brand associated with pan masala.

Khanna, best known for playing Bhishma Pitamah in Mahabharat and Shaktimaan in the television series Shaktimaan, criticised the advertisement in a video shared on social media. Taking a dig at the actors, he referred to the gesture featured in the campaign as “Kesariya Adaab” and questioned why celebrities with considerable influence would associate themselves with such advertisements.

“The government and the FDA have issued notices to the three actors who were doing the ‘Kesariya Adaab’. I am glad that the government does take note of what I say, although it is also true that it takes a little time,” Khanna said in the video.

He went on to recall issues he had raised in the past, saying, “I had spoken about the burden of schoolchildren’s books, and it was taken seriously only after many years. I had also said that Vande Mataram should be made the national anthem, and now a campaign has begun around it.”

Khanna then turned his attention to celebrity endorsements and their influence on young people.

“For a long time, I have been saying that these great artists think highly of themselves and live good lives, but they are showing people the way to live a wrong life through such advertisements. I have asked them many times, ‘What are you doing? You have so much else you can do, so why do you do such advertisements?’” he said.

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Mukesh Khanna calls Vimal Elaichi ad surrogate advertising

Khanna also rejected the distinction between advertising cardamom and promoting pan masala when the same brand name is used.

“They say they are advertising cardamom, but when the same brand name is used, it becomes a surrogate advertisement. You are indirectly promoting the same brand of gutka, which is banned in Maharashtra,” he said.

 

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The actor questioned why authorities had taken so long to act against such advertising.

“I am surprised that the government officials took action so late. Why did they take so long? Perhaps the government was also earning revenue from it. I could not understand why this was allowed to continue,” Khanna said.

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He welcomed the FDA notices, saying, “I am happy that this time the FDA has issued a strict notice to these actors. They have been asked why they did the advertisement, and they have also been asked to stop it.”

Khanna also called on Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff to publicly acknowledge their role in the campaign and apologise.

“I would go further and say that these actors should come forward and publicly apologise, saying that they made the wrong advertisement,” he said.

“They have first given people the wrong message, so now it is their duty to turn that around and give them the right message — that this is not something people should consume. Let us see what happens. I will wait,” he added.

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FDA issues notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff

The Maharashtra FDA has issued show-cause notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their appearances in advertisements for Vimal Elaichi. The regulator has alleged that the campaign could amount to indirect or surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, which is prohibited in Maharashtra.

According to PTI, the FDA sent the notices on August 11 and sought responses and explanations from the three actors within 15 days regarding their roles in the advertisement.

The notices were reportedly sent to Shah Rukh Khan’s residence Mannat in Bandra, Ajay Devgn’s residence in Juhu and Tiger Shroff’s production company, Tiger Shroff Productions LLP.

The FDA has raised concerns over the way the Vimal brand name, product and dialogue are used in the advertisement. According to the regulator, the presentation could promote the Vimal brand in a manner that indirectly advertises its pan masala product.

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Mukesh Khanna had criticised such ads earlier

Khanna has been vocal about celebrity endorsements of pan masala and similar products for several years. In 2024, he had specifically criticised a pan masala advertisement featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar.

Speaking to Bollywood Bubble at the time, Khanna said, “If you ask me, I’d say, inko pakad ke maarna chaahiye (catch them and beat them up). I have told this to them. I have even scolded Akshay Kumar. He is such a health-conscious man otherwise, and he says ‘aadaab’, Ajay Devgn says ‘aadaab’, and now Shah Rukh Khan is going down the same path.”

Questioning the message such endorsements send to the public, he added, “Crores of rupees are spent on making these ads. And what are you teaching the people? They say we are not selling pan-masala, they say it’s supari (beetle nut). But they know what they are doing.”