Tukaram Mundhe responds to Preity Zinta's 'Team Tukaram Mundhe' T-shirt

Preity Zinta's show of support for Maharashtra's food-safety drive has drawn a reply from the man at the centre of it. The actress was recently seen in a black T-shirt that read "Team Tukaram Mundhe", and pictures of the look spread quickly across social media. The gesture was her way of backing the enforcement drive that has been making news in the state.

Tukaram Mundhe, who heads Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration as its Commissioner, said the two have never actually spoken. He made it clear there had been no personal meeting and no phone call. He added, though, that he was thankful the actress had brought up his name in support of the cause.

The officer welcomed the wider goodwill around the campaign. In his view, people with good intentions can be found in every part of society. He said such people should come together as a team around good causes, so that positive ideas, thoughts and actions get a push.

He was also firm that a slogan on its own changes nothing. According to Mundhe, putting on a shirt with his name printed on it does not go far enough. What really matters, he said, is that "the actual work must be done" and that people take on the right mindset.

The state FDA regulates food, medicines and cosmetics across Maharashtra, and its work includes inspections, sampling and action against food businesses that break the rules. Its recent checks have reportedly made Mundhe a well-known name in Mumbai's food-safety conversations.

His profile has now reached the film world well beyond Preity. Twinkle Khanna reportedly mentioned his campaign in her Mrs Funnybones column, while Salman Khan is said to have dropped his name in a joke about keeping standards up at a friend's cafe in Mumbai.