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Artists Must Respect Law and Responsibility in Endorsements, Says Tukaram Mundhe
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Storyboard•24-09-2026, 09:03
Artists Must Respect Law and Responsibility in Endorsements, Says Tukaram Mundhe
- •Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe supports President Droupadi Murmu's call for film personalities to exercise greater responsibility in product endorsements, especially those impacting public health.
- •Murmu urged celebrities to avoid endorsing harmful food products, emphasizing their influence on young audiences and the need for responsible use of their star power.
- •Mundhe, sharing Murmu's remarks, stated, "Influence is not immunity," asserting that artists, like everyone, must respect the law and the responsibility tied to shaping public choices through endorsements.
- •He highlighted that public health cannot be an afterthought when influence is used for food product endorsements, noting Maharashtra's past notices to artists over public interest concerns.
- •Mundhe's comments follow Maharashtra FDA's actions against Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff for endorsing Vimal Elaichi, alleging surrogate advertising for Vimal Pan Masala.
Key Questions Answered
The Maharashtra FDA issued show-cause notices to the Bollywood actors because their advertisement for Vimal Elaichi allegedly amounted to surrogate promotion for Vimal Pan Masala, which is prohibited in the state.
President Droupadi Murmu urged film personalities to exercise greater responsibility and avoid endorsing health-harming food products, while FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe backed her stance by emphasizing that influence is not immunity and public health must come first.
The Delhi High Court dismissed the petition filed by PB Agro LLP, the master licensee for Vimal-branded elaichi and pan masala products, after ruling that it lacked territorial jurisdiction over the matter.
