- Mukesh Khanna supported FDA's show-cause notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff
- The actors promoted Vimal elaichi ad linked to banned pan masala in Maharashtra
- FDA ordered immediate discontinuation of the campaign and removal of related content
Mukesh Khanna has spoken in support of the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) show-cause notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their association with Vimal's elaichi advertisement.
In a video shared on Instagram, Khanna said, "I would like to start by saying that the government and the FDA have sent a notice to three big artists."
Khanna then criticised actors for appearing in advertisements that he believes indirectly promote products such as pan masala. "And now, what I have been saying for a long time, big artists who think they are good people and lead a good life are showing people the wrong way to live. I have said many times, what are you doing? You have a lot to do. Still, why are you doing such ads? Even though you are promoting elaichi, you are promoting the same brand indirectly."
He also questioned why the authorities had taken so long to act. "Why are you putting goods in the market which are banned in Maharashtra? I am surprised that all these officials took action on behalf of the government. Why so late? Why are they getting so many lakhs and crores of rupees? No one does this. Even the government was getting a lot of money from it. I did not understand." Khanna also urged the three actors to acknowledge their role in the campaign.
"I would even say that these actors should move forward and publicly apologise for making a wrong ad. They have given the wrong message earlier, so now it is their duty to turn it around and give the right message that this thing is not for eating," he said.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a show-cause notice to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff for indirectly promoting pan masala, a prohibited product in the state, through an advertisement.
The three actors had come together for an advertisement promoting elaichi (cardamom) of Vimal, a pan masala company, in 2024.
In a show-cause notice issued by the Tukaram Mundhe-led Maharashtra food safety body, the actors were directed to immediately discontinue their participation in the campaign and remove all promotional content related to the ad from their official social media handles.
Mundhe's FDA also demanded full copies of their endorsement agreements, campaign briefs, payment arrangements, and proof of due diligence.
