FDA Crackdown Hits Bollywood: Shah Rukh, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff Served Notices Over Pan Masala Ad

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has issued show-cause notices to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff for allegedly promoting banned pan masala through a surrogate advertisement for Vimal Elaichi.

The regulatory action forms part of a wider enforcement drive across Maharashtra against prohibited gutkha and tobacco products.

FDA Targets Surrogate Tobacco Endorsements

State regulators issued notices to Khan at his Bandra residence, Devgn at his Juhu home, and Shroff through his production firm. Officials cited Section 24 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, which prohibits misleading promotional campaigns, and Section 53, which permits fines reaching up to 10 lakh rupees for individuals participating in deceptive brand endorsements.

Maharashtra has maintained a strict prohibition on the manufacture, storage, distribution, and sale of pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine since 2012 under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety Act, renewing the order annually on 13 July. The FDA contends that promoting cardamom under the shared Vimal brand umbrella serves as a direct pipeline to push prohibited tobacco products to consumers.

Enforcers Step Up State-Wide Raids

The action against high-profile celebrity endorsers comes amidst an aggressive, multi-agency anti-tobacco drive. Regulatory data shows enforcers raided 658 commercial establishments, seizing illegal stock valued at 15.11 crore rupees.

Police registered 519 First Information Reports, arrested 701 individuals, and confiscated 78 transport vehicles carrying contraband worth 6.6 crore rupees. State Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe directed local enforcement teams to coordinate with regional police, invoking strict provisions under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against commercial syndicates moving banned gutkha across state borders.