Amitabh Bachchan Scraps Contract With Pan Masala Brand, Says 'Wasn’t Aware It Was Surrogate Ad'

In a blog post, Amitabh Bachchan said he became associated with the brand, and wasn’t aware that it falls under surrogate advertising

Amitabh Bachchan | File Image

New Delhi: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who turned 79 on Monday, has informed about stepping away from an advertising campaign of a paan masala brand and mentioned about giving back the money received for its promotion.

Known as 'Star of the Millennium' for his massive superstardom, Bachchan has a huge fan following. Recently, the 79-year-old actor received a backlash for featuring in an advertisement of a paan masala brand. Several fans of the veteran actor expressed displeasure over his decision.

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In a blog post, addressed by "the office of Amitabh Bachchan", on Sunday night shared about the dteails of his association with the brand saying he is no longer related with the promotions.

"A few days after the commercial was aired, Bachchan contacted the brand and stepped out of it last week. Upon checking why this sudden move - it was revealed that when Bachchan became associated with the brand, he wasn’t aware that it falls under surrogate advertising.”

"Bachchan has terminated the contract with the brand, has written to them his termination and has returned the money received for the promotion," the post read.

In fact, last month, the National Organization for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), an NGO, also appealed to Bachchan to not be part of advertisements that promote paan masala brands.

Through an open letter, NOTE president Dr Shekhar Salkar had said that the actor should withdraw from "surrogate" paan masala advertisements and support the cause of the anti-tobacco movement.

Bachchan entered the industry with his debut in 1969 in Saat Hindustani and carved a glorious career entertaining audience for more than 50 years.

In the initial phase of his career, the actor appeared in several critically and commercially accalaimed films. Also known as the ‘Angry Young Man’ of Bollywood he brought his signature charm in the characters he played. However, in the latter part of his career, Bachchan became experimental and keeps reinventing with diverse roles.