Tukaram Mundhe gives update on Vimal ad notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed the hearing involving Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over notices issued in connection with a Vimal Elaichi advertisement. Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said the department will now proceed further in the matter.

Speaking to news agency ANI on Tuesday, Mundhe said responses had been received from all three actors and that the hearing process had concluded. “Regarding those notices, responses from all three have come. Two of them had asked for a hearing. Their hearing was finished yesterday, and we are proceeding further,” he said.

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The development comes weeks after the Maharashtra FDA issued show-cause notices to the three actors over their association with a Vimal Elaichi advertisement. The regulator alleged that the campaign amounted to surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, a product prohibited in Maharashtra. The notices were issued on August 11, giving the actors 15 days to respond.

What is the Vimal Elaichi ad controversy?

Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have appeared in advertisements promoting Vimal Elaichi. The Maharashtra FDA questioned whether the branding and presentation of the advertisement indirectly promoted Vimal Pan Masala.

The actors were asked to explain why action should not be initiated against them. The FDA also directed them to stop participating in the advertisement and remove promotional material from their official digital platforms.

The issue centres on the responsibility of celebrities who endorse products. Mundhe has previously said that advertisers cannot simply argue that responsibility rests with the manufacturer. According to him, advertising regulations place certain responsibilities on the person or institution promoting a product, including the need to exercise due diligence.

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FDA to decide next course of action

Mundhe had earlier said that two of the three actors had responded to the notices, while proceedings had been initiated against the actor who had not responded within the stipulated period. He did not publicly identify which actor had or had not responded.

The legal dispute has also reached the courts. On September 14, the Delhi High Court dismissed a petition filed by PB Agro LLP, the master licensee associated with Vimal Elaichi, challenging the FDA notices. The court held that Maharashtra was the appropriate jurisdiction for challenging action taken by the state FDA.

(With inputs from news agency ANI)