Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff reply to FDA notices over Vimal Elaichi ad

Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have all replied to the show-cause notices they got over their Vimal Elaichi advertisement. Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe confirmed this on Tuesday, September 29. He said two of the three stars asked to be heard in person, and those hearings took place the day before.

Mundhe said the FDA will now take the matter forward. He would not say which two actors had asked for a hearing. When pressed, he only said it was "those who wanted it".

The regulator sent the notices on August 11. It says the campaign may work as surrogate advertising for Vimal Pan Masala, which is banned in Maharashtra, because the elaichi ad seems to link the mouth freshener to the pan masala brand. The actors were asked to explain their role in the campaign. They were also asked to share their endorsement records, including contracts and proof of the checks they made before signing on.

The FDA has cited the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Section 24 deals with misleading food advertisements, and Section 53 allows a penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh for anyone involved in publishing one. Mundhe has said that responsibility does not rest with the manufacturer alone, and that anyone who endorses a product has a duty to check it first.

This update comes days after Mundhe reportedly said one of the three actors had not replied and that proceedings had begun against that actor. Reports also say the Delhi High Court refused to hear a challenge to the notices in September, saying courts in Maharashtra were the better place for the case.

Ajay has reportedly fronted Vimal campaigns for several years, and Shah Rukh joined later. Reports say Tiger came on board after Akshay Kumar left the brand in 2022 following criticism. According to reports, Ajay has said in the past that he endorses elaichi and not pan masala. Shah Rukh is reported to have said that if a product is harmful, it should be stopped from being made or sold, instead of the blame falling only on actors.