Maharashtra FDA Takes Action Against Film Stars Over Vimal Ad

Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has stated that actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff will not escape legal action due to their celebrity status. The three film stars received notices from the state food safety department because an advertisement for Vimal Elaichi was treated as indirect promotion for Vimal Pan Masala, a banned item in Maharashtra. Speaking to a news channel, the commissioner confirmed that legal and prosecution steps have already started against one of the actors who failed to reply within the given time limit. Mundhe noted that the department views them simply as advertisers who broke the law rather than as big stars. The commissioner also mentioned that two of the actors replied to the notice while one did not, though he did not name the person who missed the deadline. He added that Shah Rukh Khan most likely did not reply, but he was not entirely sure. The actors who replied argued that the maker of the product should take the blame instead of the endorsers. Mundhe rejected this argument, stating that advertising rules under the Food Safety Act place direct legal and moral responsibility on the person endorsing the item to check what they are promoting. The department is now holding hearings with an assistant commissioner to review the responses.