Three of Bollywood’s biggest stars, Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff, have been ordered to stop appearing in advertisements for a Vimal product amid a crackdown on surrogate advertising in India’s Maharashtra state.
The actors have been promoting Vimal cardamom, but authorities say the brand is strongly associated with pan masala, a prohibited betel nut product that is considered harmful to health, particularly when combined with tobacco.
Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued notices to the three actors over the weekend, asking them to explain their involvement in the advertisements within 15 days.
The regulator said the advertisements could reinforce consumer recognition of the prohibited pan masala product by continuing to promote the Vimal brand.
“Such use of the brand name and identity may have the effect of promoting, reinforcing or maintaining consumer recognition of the prohibited” product, the FDA said in its notice.
The actors have also been instructed to remove the advertisements from their social media accounts, refrain from participating in future broadcasts promoting the brand and provide details of their endorsement agreements with the manufacturer.
Representatives for Khan, Devgn and Shroff have not publicly responded to the notices. Vishnu & Company Trademarks, which owns the Vimal brand, also did not respond to requests for comment.
Surrogate advertising is commonly used to market products that are restricted or prohibited. Companies promote a legal product using the same branding, logos or visual identity associated with the restricted product, allowing the brand to remain visible to consumers.
In this case, the Vimal advertisements promote cardamom, while authorities argue that consumers primarily associate the Vimal name with pan masala.
One of the advertisements featuring the three actors has reportedly attracted more than 106 million views on YouTube. The commercial shows Khan, Devgn and Shroff taking part in a festive celebration while promoting Vimal cardamom.
India has a large pan masala market, estimated by industry sources to have been worth around $5 billion last year.
Health experts have warned about the dangers associated with pan masala, with doctors linking its use to oral fibrosis, a condition that can progress to oral cancer.
The Maharashtra crackdown comes as the state’s new food safety chief intensifies enforcement measures against businesses accused of breaching food safety and hygiene standards. Authorities have recently suspended licences at several restaurants and shut four Domino’s outlets and 12 warehouses operated by major grocery companies.
Surrogate advertising has also drawn attention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s federal government, with regulations governing the practice having faced legal challenges.
In 2024, reports indicated that India was considering stricter regulations to prevent surrogate advertising, following complaints that alcohol companies were using alternative products and promotional material to maintain visibility for restricted brands.
The proposed rules have yet to be finalised.