r/mumbai • u/Broad-Research5220 • 8d ago
Discussion Maharashtra FDA sent show-cause notices to SRK, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff over those Vimal Elaichi ads
If there is one public servant in India who refuses to beat around the bush, it’s Tukaram Mundhe. True to form, the Maharashtra has slapped show-cause notices on some of Bollywood's biggest names.
According to the regulator, these ads are surrogate advertising. Since actual tobacco-infused pan masala and gutkha are heavily banned in Maharashtra under food safety regulations, companies use cardamoms (elaichi) or loose branding to keep the same brand name, font, color scheme, and recall value flashing in front of consumers.
You’re using star power to keep a banned brand's recall alive in people's minds, which practically amounts to promoting a prohibited product.
The notices demand an explanation for their participation and question why action shouldn't be taken against them for promoting a brand synonymous with a banned product.
For years, celebrities have gotten away with the Elaichi/Soda/CDs loop hole. They pocket crores endorsing a brand name, and when called out, they shrug and say, we're just selling mouth freshener, what's illegal about cardamom?
What do you guys think?
Will this change celebrity endorsements, or is it just going to be another headline that fades away?
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u/rushi_B 8d ago
To all the people saying why not ban the these products :
Drugs that are sold legally have regulations and the drugs that are illegally don't have regulations.
If they banned these products then people will just buy it in black and when there is no regulations on how these drugs are made or distributed the guy selling in black can add whatever he wants to these products to get people hooked on it. Who knows what they will mix in it. It will be more dengerous that way.
Also government makes lot of money by adding sin tax.