Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff get FDA showcause notice over Vimal Elaichi ad

PTC News Desk: Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued cause notice notices to Bollywood actors Ajay Devgn, Shah Rukh Khan and Tiger Shroff over their advertisement for Vimal Elaichi, alleging that it amounts to surrogate advertising for Vimal Pan Masala, a product prohibited in the state.

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified its action against the sale and promotion of tobacco and pan masala products. Three actors—Ajay Devgn, Shah Rukh Khan and Tiger Shroff—have now come under the regulator’s scrutiny for their association with a Vimal Pan Masala advertisement.

The FDA has issued notices to the actors and asked them to submit a written explanation within 15 days, stating why legal action should not be taken against them. The notices seek details about their roles in the advertisement.

“Upon examination of the said advertisement, it prima facie appears that the advertisement promotes the Vimal brand, which is mainly associated with Pan Masala, a product prohibited for manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale in the State of Maharashtra for a period of one year, with effect from the date specified in the Prohibition Order dated the 13th July, 2026, issued by the Commissioner of Food Safety, Maharashtra State, under Section 30(2)(a) of the FSS Act, 2006,” the notice states.

According to the FDA, the advertisement may indirectly promote the Vimal Pan Masala brand and could be considered surrogate advertising under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The regulator said this is the first time it has started examining such indirect advertising.

The FDA said the advertisement’s presentation, dialogue, product name and market context raise serious questions about whether it is indirectly promoting a prohibited tobacco-related product. All three actors appeared in the advertisement as brand endorsers.

Maharashtra has banned gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine since 2012. The FDA has been taking strict action against the sale and promotion of such banned products and has also been working with police against organised networks involved in their illegal trade.

The regulator has invoked provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act that restrict misleading advertisements. It has also referred to a section that allows a penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh for those involved in publishing a misleading food advertisement.

The FDA has asked the actors to provide copies of their endorsement contracts, campaign details, remuneration information and proof of due diligence.