In reiteration of his stance, Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has again warned film stars not to promote products harmful to public health. Mudhe said he shared President Droupadi Murmu’s recent appeal to film stars not to endorse such products.
What President Droupadi Murmu had said
In her address at the 72nd National Film Awards, held at a ceremony in Gujarat’s Kevadia, President Murmu said that when successful film artists speak about the benefits of a disciplined lifestyle, millions of children and young people emulate them
“A true star is one who spreads light, not darkness,” the President said. She urged celebrities not to endorse products that can harm public health, adding that celebs ‘have a powerful influence on young minds’.
Tukaram Mundhe’s new warning
On Wednesday, Mundhe shared a video of the President’s speech on X and reiterated his stance. “Influence is not immunity. Artists, like everyone else, must respect the law and recognise the responsibility that comes with endorsing products, behaviours and habits that shape public choices,” he wrote.
“When influence is used to endorse food products, public health cannot be an afterthought. In Maharashtra, we have already issued notices to artists for endorsements that raise concerns in the larger public interest,” he added.
Adding that ‘no one is above the law’, the FDA chief said, “Influence must never become a licence to promote what may harm public health. No commercial interest can take precedence over public health.”
FDA’s notices to Bollywood stars
Tukaram Mundhe gained fame this year for his indiscriminate raids on Mumbai food joints, exposing unsafe and unsanitary conditions in many kitchens and shutting down many such joints. On August 11, his FDA turned their focus on celebrities as well, issuing notices to Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff. The notices alleged that the Vimal Elaichi advertisement featuring them constituted surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, a product prohibited in Maharashtra. Mundhe had said that one of the actors failed to respond to the notice.
The notice cited Section 24 of the FSS Act, which restricts misleading advertisements, and Section 53, under which a person who publishes or is party to the publication of a misleading food advertisement can face a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh.
Speaking to NDTV, Mundhe had said, “According to you they may be stars, but according to me they are only advertisers in this case. So I am looking at them as violators of the law, and the law will take its own course. That’s why we have started taking action. We have taken this action as per the law.”
(With PTI inputs)