18 September,2026 07:19 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Tukaram Mundhe; Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan in ad. Pics via X
Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has broken his silence on the Bollywood actors endorsing pan masala. He also weighed in on the matter, calling Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff "violators of the law".
For the unversed, Shah Rukh, Ajay and Tiger were served with show-cause notices over a Vimal Elaichi advertisement. Now, after seeking responses from the actors, the FDA has started adjudication and prosecution proceedings against one actor who has not yet replied to the notice.
Talking to NDTV, Mundhe said, "According to you they may be stars, but according to me they are only advertisers in this case. So I am looking at them as violators of the law, and the law will take its own course. That's why we have started taking action."
The FDA's Greater Mumbai division had earlier issued the notices to the actors on August 11, claiming that the advertisement was a surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, a product that is prohibited in Maharashtra. Subsequently, they were given 15 days to respond to the notice.
Mundhe told the portal that two of the three actors had responded to the notices while one had not. "We have taken this action as per the law," he said. Although he did not mention the name of the one who has not responded, he said, "In one case where they have not responded, we are starting the adjudicating and prosecution proceedings."
He also shared that the two actors who replied argued that the responsibility lay with the manufacturer. "We are giving them a hearing. My officer, the assistant commissioner who issued the notices, will be giving the hearing," he said.
When asked specifically which actor had not responded, he said, "I exactly don't remember... because that is with the assistant commissioner." When questioned specifically about whether Shah Rukh Khan's team had responded, Mundhe replied, "Most likely he has not responded, but I'm not too sure about it."
The FDA commissioner also rejected the debate about endorsers bearing no responsibility when it is the manufacturer who makes the prohibited product. "There are clearly advertising regulations as per the Food Safety Act. [The regulations] talk about who the advertiser is, and there is a responsibility very specifically cast upon the person or institution who is advertising," he said, referring also to the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018.
"There is a responsibility cast upon the person who is advertising it, including to take due diligence about what he or she is endorsing. To say that it is not upon them is wrong... Not only morally, but legally, I'm talking about, because I am here as a regulator," he added.
