The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received official written responses from Bollywood actors Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff regarding notices issued over their endorsement of Vimal elaichi products. Regulatory officials confirmed that while Devgn and Shroff have submitted their statements, a formal response from co-endorser Shah Rukh Khan is still awaited. The notices were served as part of an inquiry into alleged surrogate marketing, where promotional campaigns purportedly use an unrestricted product's brand identity to market distinct goods.
According to regulatory details disclosed by the FDA, the notices were issued for potential violations under the Advertising and Claims Regulations, 2018. Authorities had sought formal clarifications from all three high-profile actors regarding the promotional claims associated with the commercial campaigns. Surrogate advertising typically involves promoting a restricted or regulated item under the name, logo, or packaging appearance of another product category sharing identical branding elements.
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FDA officials stated that specialized teams are currently examining and evaluating the responses provided by Devgn and Shroff. The administrative assessment aims to determine whether the assertions made in the advertisements and the overall promotion of the product align with statutory food safety regulations. Officials emphasized that further regulatory measures or legal actions will be decided once the investigation and response evaluations are fully concluded.
The regulatory scrutiny comes amid an ongoing enforcement drive led by IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe, who heads Maharashtra's FDA unit. Under his administrative direction, the agency has initiated strict crackdowns across various commercial sectors to enforce food safety protocols. These regulatory drives have prompted food vendors and commercial establishments across the state to modify their production and storage operations to avoid financial penalties, legal prosecution, or permanent operational shutdowns.
The heightened focus on compliance within the entertainment ecosystem also follows recent representations made by the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE). The union had previously raised concerns regarding food safety and hygiene conditions across film and television sets, urging the FDA leadership to take action against substandard catering practices to safeguard industry workers.
