Mumbai: Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have come under regulatory scrutiny in Maharashtra after the state’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued show-cause notices concerning a Vimal Elaichi advertisement.
The regulator is examining whether the promotional campaign for the mouth freshener amounts to surrogate advertising for Vimal Pan Masala, a tobacco-related product prohibited in Maharashtra.
The notices ask the three actors to explain their involvement in the campaign and address the FDA’s concerns over the way the brand has been presented.
FDA questions connection with banned product
According to the regulator, the branding, dialogue and overall presentation of the advertisement may create an indirect association between Vimal Elaichi and the Vimal Pan Masala brand.
The FDA is assessing whether the advertisement could therefore be viewed as an attempt to promote a prohibited tobacco or nicotine-containing product through a different product category.
Maharashtra has maintained a ban on gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine since 2012 under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act. The prohibition is renewed periodically, with the latest extension taking effect on July 13, 2026.
The notices refer to Sections 24 and 53 of the FSS Act. Under the provisions cited by the regulator, misleading food advertisements can attract penalties of up to Rs 10 lakh.
Vimal campaign has faced scrutiny earlier
The latest action is not the first time the Vimal Elaichi campaign has faced questions from authorities.
In 2018, the Directorate General of Health Services issued a notice to Vishnu Pouch Packaging Private Limited, the company associated with the promotion of Vimal Elaichi. The action was taken under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003.
The company was accused of indirectly promoting tobacco products through an advertisement featuring a Bollywood celebrity and allegedly aimed at attracting younger consumers.
The company disputed the allegations and argued that it did not manufacture tobacco products under the Vimal name for the domestic market.
The dispute later reached the Delhi High Court. In January 2024, the court dismissed a DGHS appeal against orders of a trial court that had permitted the company to continue advertising its non-tobacco products.
The High Court observed that the company had a fundamental right to conduct business in non-tobacco pan masala, provided such activity had constitutional sanction.
Actors have been asked to respond
The Maharashtra FDA’s latest notices do not establish that Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn or Tiger Shroff have committed an offence.
Instead, the actors have been asked to provide their explanations regarding their participation in the advertisement and the concerns raised by the regulator.
The notices could reignite the wider debate over surrogate advertising, particularly when celebrities endorse products that share branding with tobacco or nicotine products.
The FDA’s examination will determine whether the Vimal Elaichi campaign breached provisions governing food advertising or indirectly promoted a product prohibited under Maharashtra’s regulations.
