Smokescreen around surrogate ads of regulated products clears with govt ban

New guidelines stipulate that indirect ads of regulated products such as liquor and tobacco will not be permitted

Last month, actor Akshay Kumar found himself at the centre of a controversy when he appeared alongside peers Ajay Devgn and Shahrukh Khan in an advertisement for Vimal Elaichi.

Cardamom seeds, pearl and saffron pods have long been positioned as surrogates for pan masala, a smokeless tobacco product whose advertising is not permitted in the country.

For an actor, who had publicly stated a few years ago of the need for celebrities to stay away from surrogate advertising, the U-turn was striking.

Kumar was mercilessly trolled on social media. So was Amitabh Bachchan, who terminated his contract with a pan masala brand after