Vimal Elaichi Ad Row: SRK, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff Respond to Maharashtra FDA Notices

Mumbai, September 30: Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have responded to show-cause notices issued by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over a Vimal Elaichi advertisement, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said on Tuesday.

Mundhe said two of the three actors had also sought a personal hearing before the department. The hearings were conducted on Monday, while the FDA is now examining the responses and deciding its next course of action.

“All three have responded to the notices. Two of them requested a hearing, and their hearings were completed yesterday,” Mundhe said at a press conference. He did not disclose which two actors had appeared for the hearing.

When asked to identify the actors who attended the hearing, Mundhe said they were the individuals who had requested one.

The latest development comes after the FDA had earlier indicated that one of the actors had not responded to the notices within the stipulated period.

The notices relate to the endorsement of Vimal Elaichi and allegations that the advertisement amounted to surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, which is prohibited in Maharashtra, according to the FDA.

The FDA issued show-cause notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff on August 11. The actors were given 15 days to submit their responses.

The notices referred to provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, including Section 24 concerning misleading food advertisements.

Section 53 of the Act provides for penalties in cases involving the publication or participation in the publication of misleading food advertisements, with the source material noting a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh.

Mundhe had earlier argued that celebrities promoting food-related products cannot simply shift responsibility to manufacturers.

He said advertising regulations place obligations on the person or institution promoting a product and maintained that endorsers should conduct appropriate due diligence before associating themselves with products.

The FDA commissioner had also described the actors as advertisers in the context of the proceedings and said the department would proceed according to the law.

With responses now received from all three actors and hearings completed for two of them, the Maharashtra FDA is expected to examine the submissions before determining further action.

Mundhe has not publicly identified which two actors sought hearings or disclosed the contents of their individual responses.