Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff are facing questions from Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over their appearance in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement, putting the spotlight once again on Bollywood's association with celebrity-led brand campaigns.
The state regulator has served show-cause notices to the three actors, seeking their explanations over concerns that the advertisement could be seen as a form of surrogate promotion for Vimal Pan Masala, a tobacco-related product banned in Maharashtra.
Why the three actors have been noticed
The FDA is examining more than just the product being advertised. According to the regulator, the brand identity, dialogue and presentation used in the campaign could create a connection between Vimal Elaichi and the Vimal Pan Masala brand.
The notices do not mean that the actors have been declared guilty of any violation. They have instead been asked to explain their role in the advertisement and respond to the regulator's concerns.
The action comes against the backdrop of Maharashtra's restrictions on gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine. The ban has been in place since 2012 under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act and was renewed most recently from July 13, 2026.
The FDA has referred to Sections 24 and 53 of the legislation while issuing the notices. Misleading food advertisements can attract financial penalties under the law, with the maximum fine cited by the regulator reaching Rs 10 lakh.
Vimal's celebrity association isn't new
Vimal's association with major Bollywood faces has previously generated regulatory attention.
In 2018, the Directorate General of Health Services issued a show-cause notice to Vishnu Pouch Packaging Private Limited over the promotion of Vimal Elaichi. Authorities had alleged that the campaign indirectly advertised a tobacco product and used a Bollywood celebrity in a manner that could appeal to younger audiences.
The company challenged the action, maintaining that it did not manufacture a tobacco product under the Vimal name for the domestic market.
The dispute eventually reached the Delhi High Court. In January 2024, the court dismissed a DGHS appeal against trial court orders that had allowed the company to continue promoting its non-tobacco products.
The court had noted that carrying on a business involving non-tobacco pan masala was permissible as long as it had constitutional sanction.
Bollywood and the surrogate advertising debate
The latest notices have once again put celebrity endorsements under the scanner. For Bollywood stars, brand collaborations are a major part of their commercial visibility, but advertisements involving products with links to tobacco or nicotine have repeatedly triggered public and regulatory debate.
The Maharashtra FDA's action now places the focus on how the Vimal Elaichi campaign is interpreted under food advertising regulations and whether its presentation creates an indirect association with the banned product.
Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff will have the opportunity to respond to the notices before the regulator determines whether any further action is required.
For now, the controversy remains at the notice stage, but it has revived a familiar question in the entertainment industry: where does a legitimate brand endorsement end and surrogate advertising begin?
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