After pleasing fans with their on-screen reunion through an exciting advertisement, Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff are now in legal trouble.
On Sunday, August 16th, the Food and Drug Administration of India (FDA) sent a show-cause notice to the actors over Virmal brand pan masala and elaichi advertisements.
The department accused the actors of publicly raising false campaigns attracting people to buy the food items, which are reportedly hazardous for health, pointing out that it amounts to indirect or surrogate advertising of prohibited items.
Notably, the one detail of the viral ad which triggered the FDA was the use of the expression “VIMAL Elaichi” in the advertisement, which appeared to create an association with the Vimal Pan Masala brand.
According to the court documents obtained by Indian media outlets, it could mislead consumers while indirectly promoting the prohibited product, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.
The notice is a “final warning” to the actors and the advertising team – who are responsible for releasing the advertisement.
Why FDA summons Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff?
It is pertinent to note that the advertisement appeared prima facie to be a misleading advertisement relating to food and contrary to the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the regulations framed under it.
The management also claimed that it prima facie amounts to “indirect or surrogate” promotion of prohibited pan masala and tobacco-related products.
Additionally, the Maharashtra FDA has given 15 days to respond to the show-cause notice, as they also asked Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff to provide documentary evidence to show whether Vimal Elaichi is an independent product actually available for sale in the market.
They are also seeking the details of all TV channels, digital and social media platforms and other media on which the advertisement was broadcast or published with the actors’ participation.
So far, neither the actors nor the advertisement’s creators have issued any counter statement after the show-cause notice went viral on social media.
