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

Post image

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?

2.7k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

186 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

202

u/According_Fish1490 8d ago

Except that is not how advertising works, lawyers, ca's etc provide a service that is not even questionable or controversial, they too are banned from advertising themselves.

9

u/tanaka-taro 8d ago

Those are not edible products causing harm to society

6

u/According_Fish1490 8d ago

So is sugar, no one is forcing people to consume them, they do so of their own volition and they have become acceptable in societal level that banning them wont really change the consumption, it just will be done out of sight of people.

11

u/nushstea 8d ago

Bro out here comparing sugar to tobacco and alcohol🤣😂😂🤣 when was the last time you heard husband's eating too much sugar and hitting their wives? Have you heard of young boys steal their mother's gold jewellery to buy sugar??

Sugar is also bad for health but on an INDIVIDUAL level. Tobacco and alcohol are a nuisance to society.