Film stars are supposed to set an example, but how many of them are actually doing so? While actors like Farhan Akhtar and Kartik Aaryan have refused to endorse harmful products like alcohol, gutka and cigarettes, other A-listers of Hindi cinema continue to sell ‘death’ manifested in consumer products which have no business being available in the public domain.
Are Indian actors obsessed with making money at the cost of their conscience?
Salman Khan may heave a sigh of relief. The Rajasthan High Court has offered him a huge relief in a case related to the endorsement of unhealthy products. Justice Anoop Singh’s court stayed the bailable warrant issued by the Jaipur District Consumer Commission-II.
The court imposed this stay while hearing petitions filed by Salman Khan and others. The commission summoned Salman Khan four times with a bailable warrant, but the warrant has not yet been served to Salman Khan. During the hearing on Monday, the commission expressed displeasure and gave Salman Khan a final chance, stating either Salman appears on April 13, else arrest warrants would be issued against him.
However, now after the High Court’s stay, Salman Khan will not have to appear before the Jaipur Consumer Commission.
This incident should serve as a warning to prominent stars who endorse cancerous products in the garb of selling some other non-toxic product.
Law forbids the CBFC from granting certification to paan masala and alcohol ads. Therefore, the ads for these products being broadcast are illegal. Actors who are part of such ads should know they’re participating in an illegal activity.
Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgan and Akshay Kumar who should know better, are brazenly selling ‘cancer’ (a.k.a gutka, paan masala) in the guise of promoting ‘kesar’ (saffron) . ‘Bolo Zubaan Kesari’ is a famous marketing slogan for Vimal Pan Masala, often marketed as “Vimal Elaichi” or “Kesar Yukt”. Ajay Devgn, Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar promote these product as a premium mouth freshener, though it is strongly associated with pan masala and tobacco products.
‘James Bond’ Pierce Brosnan claimed he had no idea about the deleterious side effects of gutka and paan masala when he endorsed one of those products.
Pahlaj Nihalani who served as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification spoke on the paan masala issue. He told this writer, “The Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had placed a complete ban on gutka ads. We do not even consider paan masala and any tobacco-related advertisement for censor certification. In other words, no ads related to tobacco products can be submitted to the censor board.”
So how did they end up being shown on various home viewing media, including many mainstream TV channels?
Wherever they are shown, they are done without censor certification.
In fact, Nihalani has a larger question to ask, “At a time when the government is coming down heavily on all potentially harmful products, why are no eyebrows raised when paan masala, cigarette and alcohol ads are not only endorsed by top stars but also screened through cable networks and even on television in cleverly veiled language that pretends to be selling soda instead of whiskey?”
The answer in one word is, money.
These gutka-alcohol brands offer astronomical sums to the A-listers for two-minute ads. Recently, Kartik Aaryan said no to around 8-9 crore offer to endorse paan masala. This is a rare example of an actor prioritising principles over profit.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.tribuneindia.com ’
