SRK, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff sent FDA notice over Vimal Elaichi ad

Maharashtra's FDA flags the campaign as possible surrogate promotion of banned Vimal Pan Masala, ordering the actors to pull the ad from all platforms they control

by e4m Staff
Published: Aug 17, 2026 2:28 PM | 3 min read

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued show-cause notices to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff for endorsing Vimal Elaichi, which is alleged to indirectly promote the banned product Vimal Pan Masala.
The FDA claims that the advertising campaign creates misleading associations with the banned product and has ordered the actors to cease all endorsements and remove related promotional content from their platforms.
The notices require the actors to provide details about the due diligence conducted before their involvement in the campaign, raising questions about the vetting process for celebrity endorsements in India.
This action is part of a broader crackdown by the Maharashtra FDA on banned tobacco products, which has included numerous raids and seizures in recent months.

Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have been served show-cause notices by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over their endorsement of Vimal Elaichi. The regulator alleges the campaign amounts to indirect or surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, a product banned in the state, according to media reports.

The notices, issued by the FDA's Greater Mumbai division on August 11, were reportedly delivered to Devgn at his Juhu residence, Khan at Mannat in Bandra, and Shroff through Tiger Shroff Productions LLP.

According to the FDA, the advertisement's use of the "Vimal Elaichi" name, along with its presentation, dialogue, and overall market context, created an association with Vimal Pan Masala and could mislead consumers while indirectly promoting a prohibited product. The regulator reportedly noted that the Vimal brand is primarily linked to pan masala, the manufacture, storage, transport, distribution, and sale of which have been banned in Maharashtra under an order issued on July 13.

The FDA has directed the three actors to immediately discontinue their participation in and endorsement of the Vimal Pan Masala or Elaichi advertisement, and to remove all related promotional content from their official social media handles, websites and any other digital platforms under their control. They have also been told not to extend any further cooperation or assistance toward the broadcast, publication, dissemination or promotion of the ad in any form.

Notably, the notices ask the actors to furnish details of the due diligence they or their talent agencies conducted before signing on to the campaign. This demand casts scrutiny not just on the endorsement itself but also on the vetting process behind celebrity brand deals in India.

The action follows the FDA's assessment of the Vimal Elaichi campaign, which it said was being run across television, digital and social media platforms.

Maharashtra has stepped up enforcement against banned tobacco and gutkha products in recent months. Between May 25 and July 31, the FDA raided 658 establishments, seizing stock worth ₹15.11 crore, registering 519 FIRs and making 701 arrests, along with 78 vehicles carrying banned goods worth ₹6.6 crore. FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has directed officials to coordinate with the police and, in eligible cases involving organised networks, invoke provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

The Vimal Elaichi campaign has drawn regulatory attention before. In 2018, the Directorate General of Health Services issued show-cause notices to Vishnu Pouch Packaging Pvt Ltd, the company behind the brand, under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, alleging indirect advertising of tobacco products.

Khan, Devgn and other top actors, including Akshay Kumar, have faced criticism in the past over similar endorsements. Kumar publicly apologised and stepped away from a pan masala brand ambassadorship in 2022 following backlash, while Devgn had defended his association at the time, calling it a personal choice.

Neither the actors nor Vishnu Pouch Packaging Pvt Ltd, which markets the Vimal brand, have issued a public response to the latest FDA notice so far.