Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff have been served notices by the Jaipur consumer forum over their appearances in Vimal Pan Masala advertisements. The complaint alleges the ads are misleading, claiming the pan masala contains saffron, which is unlikely given the cost of saffron and the product’s price. The forum has ordered the actors and the brand manufacturer to appear on March 19th.
The district consumer disputes redressal forum in Jaipur has issued notices to the three actors, and the chairman of Vimal Gutkha brand manufacturer JB Industries, asking them to appear on March 19.
According to a TOI report, the B-town stars have been served notices over the alleged misleading ad, which claims that each grain of the pan masala contains ‘saffron’.
The ad’s tag line says, “dane dane mein hai kesar ka dum” (each grain has strength of saffron).
While hearing the complaint of petitioner Yogendra Singh Badiyal, a Jaipur resident, consumer forum chairperson Gyarsilal Meena and member Hemlata Agarwal issued the order.
What the petitioner alleged?
In its complaint, the petitioner alleged that the advertisement featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff claims that the pan masala contains ‘saffron’.
According to the petitioner, the price of saffron is around ₹4 lakh per kg and the Pan Masala with Tobacco pouch costs ₹5.
“In such a situation, forget about adding saffron; even its fragrance cannot be added to it,” the TOI report cited the petitioner.
According to the complainant, the “misleading” ad is shown so that more and more people buy the combo of pan masala and the tobacco pouch, and the manufacturer gets profit.
The complaint accused the actors of “spreading false propaganda” by showing the presence of saffron in every grain of the pan masala.
Further, the complaint alleged that the manufacturer is doing business worth crores of rupees, while the common people are “inviting” diseases like cancer by consuming the combo of pan masala and tobacco.
“In such a situation, it is deliberately advertising it by claiming that it contains saffron to mislead the common people,” the complainant alleged.
