Consumer forum issues notices to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff over pan masala ad

JAIPUR: The district consumer disputes redressal forum, Jaipur-II, issued notices to actors Shahrukh Khan, Ajay Devgan and Tiger Shroff, as well as the chairman of JB Industries (manufacturer of Vimal Gutkha brand), Friday, asking them to appear on March 19 for an alleged misleading advertisement of the Vimal Pan Masala, which claims each grain of pan masala contains ‘saffron'. The ad tag line says, "dane dane mein hai kesar ka dum" (each grain has strength of saffron).
Chairman of the commission, Gyarsilal Meena, and member Hemlata Agarwal gave this order while hearing the complaint of Yogendra Singh Badiyal, a resident of Jaipur.
The complainant said that JB Industries manufactures Vimal Pan Masala and supplies it for sale across the country. "The three actors, including Shahrukh Khan, Ajay Devgan and Tiger Shroff, advertise it to increase its sales. It is claimed in the advertisement that it contains saffron. However, the truth is that the price of saffron is around 4 lakh rupees per kg and their Pan Masala with Tobacco pouch comes in at Rs 5. In such a situation, forget about adding saffron, even its fragrance cannot be added to it," the petitioner said.
This misleading advertisement is shown so that more and more people buy this combo of Pan Masala and Tobacco pouch, and its manufacturer gets profit. The complaint added that actors are spreading false propaganda by showing the presence of saffron in every grain of this Pan Masala.
"The manufacturing company is doing business worth crores of rupees and, on the other hand, the common people are inviting diseases like cancer by consuming the harmful and fatal combo of Pan Masala with tobacco known as gutkha. This mix, known as gutkha, is harmful to health, and the manufacturing company is also aware of this. In such a situation, it is deliberately advertising it by claiming that it contains saffron to mislead the common people. In such a situation, its advertisement should be banned," the petitioner said.