Maharashtra FDA issues notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff over elaichi ad

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued notices to Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their appearance in an advertisement for a chewing elaichi brand, alleging that the promotion may violate provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and related rules.

The notices were issued on August 14 and seek details from the actors about their role in the advertisement and their association with the brand. The FDA said the advertisement could amount to indirect promotion of a brand associated with pan masala.

The notices were sent to Devgn at his residence in Juhu and to Khan at Mannat in Bandra. Shroff was served the notice through his production company, Tiger Shroff Productions LLP.

According to the FDA, the advertisement creates an association with a brand that is primarily linked to pan masala products. The regulator's action comes amid stepped-up enforcement against gutka and pan masala products containing tobacco or nicotine across Maharashtra.

The FDA also cited a Maharashtra government order issued on July 13, 2026, prohibiting the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of the product in the state for one year from the date specified in the order.

The latest notices are part of a wider food safety enforcement drive by the Maharashtra FDA. The department has been conducting inspections and seizures involving several categories, including adulterated milk, food served at restaurants, junk food sold in and around schools, and banned gutka and tobacco-containing pan masala.

The same elaichi brand had earlier triggered controversy involving Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar. In 2022, Kumar apologised after facing criticism for appearing in an advertisement for the brand alongside Khan and Devgn.

Kumar had said he was stepping back from the endorsement and would donate the fee he received for it to a worthy cause. He also said the advertisement could continue to be broadcast for the duration of his contractual obligation but promised to be more careful about his future endorsements.

The Maharashtra FDA's latest action now puts Khan, Devgn and Shroff under scrutiny over their association with the same brand.