The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reportedly issued show-cause notices to Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their appearance in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement.
The FDA has alleged that the advertisement could amount to surrogate advertising for Vimal Pan Masala, a product prohibited in Maharashtra.
The notices, issued this week, ask the three actors to explain their role in the advertisement and whether it indirectly promotes the Vimal Pan Masala brand. The notices were reportedly sent to Devgn at his Juhu residence, Khan at Mannat in Bandra and Shroff through his production company, Tiger Shroff Productions LLP.
FDA Questions Vimal Advertisement
According to the FDA, the presentation, dialogue, product name and market association of the advertisement raise concerns about possible indirect promotion of a prohibited tobacco-related product.
The regulator has referred to Section 24 of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006, which deals with misleading food advertisements. It has also cited Section 53, under which a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh can be imposed for being involved in publishing a misleading food advertisement.
The actors have been asked to respond to the notices.
Maharashtra Steps Up Action Against Banned Products
The action comes as the Maharashtra FDA intensifies its crackdown on gutkha, tobacco and nicotine-containing pan masala.
Maharashtra has prohibited gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine since 2012 under the FSS Act. The ban was renewed on July 13, 2026, for another year.
Between May 25 and July 31, the FDA reportedly:
- Raided 658 establishments
- Seized banned products worth ₹15.11 crore
- Registered 519 FIRs
- Arrested 701 people
- Seized 78 vehicles carrying banned products worth ₹6.6 crore
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe had also directed officials in June to coordinate with police and invoke the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in eligible cases involving organised networks dealing in banned tobacco products.
Vimal Elaichi Ad Faced Scrutiny Earlier
The Vimal Elaichi campaign has faced regulatory scrutiny in the past as well.
In 2018, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) issued show-cause notices to Vishnu Pouch Packaging Pvt Ltd under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, alleging indirect advertising of tobacco products through the Vimal Elaichi brand.
The company challenged the notices, arguing that it did not manufacture tobacco products under the Vimal brand for the domestic market.
In January 2024, the Delhi High Court dismissed DGHS appeals against trial court orders that had allowed the company to continue advertising non-tobacco products. The issue of whether such advertising amounts to surrogate promotion remained contested.