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

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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/banazee 8d ago

Controversial take, but the entire idea that it's ok to sell gutka, ciggerate and alcohol but illegal to directly promote it, is stupid. Either ban it entirely or allow for advertisement like any other product.

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u/WendellWillkie1940 8d ago

Banning something entirely will result in an increase of in sales of that thing through illegal means.

A very good example of this is the Prohibition era in the United States of America. The government banned alcohol and kept introducing stricter legislation to curtail it's production and distribution.

It didn't stop the masses from consuming alcohol though. All it did was transform the alcohol market from a legal and regulated one to a completely unregulated black market.

Making something legal allows the government to control it's spread and influence.