Weeks after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Maharashtra issued a show-cause notice to Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their Vimal Elaichi advertisement, Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has reminded celebrities of their responsibility while promoting food products. And it has come with a warning, almost.

“Influence is not immunity,” Tukaram Mundhe posted on X on Wednesday afternoon.

“Artists, like everyone else, must respect the law and recognise the responsibility that comes with endorsing products, behaviours and habits that shape public choices,” he said.

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He added that “when influence is used to endorse food products, public health cannot be an afterthought,” adding that the state had “already issued notices to artists for endorsements that raise concerns in the larger public interest.”

“The principle is simple: no one is above the law, and no commercial interest can take precedence over public health,” the post read.

Influence is not immunity.

Artists, like everyone else, must respect the law and recognise the responsibility that comes with endorsing products, behaviours and habits that shape public choices.

When influence is used to endorse food products, public health cannot be an…

— Tukaram Mundhe (@Tukaram_IndIAS) September 23, 2026

Tukaram Mundhe shared the message on X along with a 35-second video of President Droupadi Murmu, urging popular actors not to endorse harmful products.

In the clip, the President can be heard saying that very famous film actors have immense potential to influence the nation, particularly its youth. “I request that famous actors don’t endorse food products that are harmful to health,” she said in Hindi, adding, “A star is one that spreads light, not darkness.”

Mundhe’s remarks follow show-cause notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff, alleging that their Vimal Elaichi advertisement amounted to surrogate advertising for Vimal Pan Masala, a product prohibited in the state.

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The notices, issued on August 11, gave the three actors 15 days to respond and directed them to stop appearing in the advertisement.

According to Mundhe, two of the actors have submitted replies, while one failed to respond within the deadline.

The case has also reached the courts. The Delhi High Court dismissed a petition filed by PB Agro LLP, the master licensee for the manufacture and sale of elaichi and pan masala not containing tobacco under the Vimal brand, seeking to quash the notices, saying it lacked territorial jurisdiction.