Mukesh Khanna calls out Shah Rukh, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff over Vimal ad

Actor Mukesh Khanna has called on Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff to publicly apologise over the promotion of pan masala. In a video shared on social media, Khanna welcomed the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration's action and mocked the gesture 'Kesariya Adaab' used in the campaign.Khanna said the government and the FDA had issued notices to the three actors over the advertisement and said he was pleased that action had finally been taken. He also said the actors should now admit that the campaign sent out a wrong message and ask people not to consume such products.The 68-year-old, known for Mahabharat and Shaktimaan, said, “I am glad that the government does take note of what I say, although it is also true that it takes a little time.” He also referred to issues he had raised in the past. “I had spoken about the burden of schoolchildren's books, and it was taken seriously only after many years. I had also said that Vande Mataram should be made the national anthem, and now a campaign has begun around it,” he said.He then spoke about celebrity endorsements and their influence on young people. “For a long time, I have been saying that these great artists think highly of themselves and live good lives, but they are showing people the way to live a wrong life through such advertisements. I have asked them many times, 'What are you doing? You have so much else you can do, so why do you do such advertisements?'” he said. Khanna rejected the distinction between advertising cardamom and promoting pan masala when the same brand name is used. “They say they are advertising cardamom, but when the same brand name is used, it becomes a surrogate advertisement. You are indirectly promoting the same brand of gutka, which is banned in Maharashtra,” he said.He also questioned why the action had come late. “I am surprised that the government officials took action so late. Why did they take so long? Perhaps the government was also earning revenue from it. I could not understand why this was allowed to continue,” he said. Welcoming the notices, Khanna added, “I am happy that this time the FDA has issued a strict notice to these actors. They have been asked why they did the advertisement, and they have also been asked to stop it.” He said the actors should now publicly acknowledge their role in the campaign and apologise. “I would go further and say that these actors should come forward and publicly apologise, saying that they made the wrong advertisement,” he said.He added, “They have first given people the wrong message, so now it is their duty to turn that around and give them the right message — that this is not something people should consume. Let us see what happens. I will wait.”What the FDA notice saysThe Maharashtra FDA has raised concerns over the way the Vimal brand name, product and dialogue are used in the advertisement. According to the regulator, the presentation could promote the Vimal brand in a manner that indirectly advertises its pan masala product.According to PTI, the notices were reportedly sent to Shah Rukh Khan's residence Mannat in Bandra, Ajay Devgn's residence in Juhu, and Tiger Shroff Productions LLP. The FDA has sought responses and explanations from all three actors within 15 days regarding their roles in the advertisement.Khanna's earlier criticismKhanna has spoken against celebrity endorsements of pan masala and similar products for several years. In 2024, he had specifically criticised a pan masala advertisement featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar.Speaking to Bollywood Bubble at the time, he had said, “If you ask me, I would say they should be caught and beaten. I have told this to them. I have even scolded Akshay Kumar. He is such a health-conscious man otherwise, and he says 'aadaab', Ajay Devgn says 'aadaab', and now Shah Rukh Khan is going down the same path.”Questioning the message such endorsements send to the public, he had added, “Crores of rupees are spent on making these ads. And what are you teaching the people? They say we are not selling pan masala; they say it is supari. But they know what they are doing.”Khanna has also made strong remarks in other recent videos shared online. In one video on Instagram, he called the people backing the students' protest over the NEET paper leak 'cockroaches' and said they should be 'thrown out'. He alleged that the protest was sponsored and aimed at destabilising the government rather than helping affected students, and warned students that they were being used. He also said such actions could affect jobs and visas.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka SharmaPublished On: Aug 18, 2026 18:34 IST