Sunny Deol Rejected Pan Masala Ads; This Celebrity Even Apologised And Donated Crores

Amidst criticism surrounding stars endorsing pan masala, Bollywood actors like Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor, Kartik Aaryan, Allu Arjun, and Yash have strictly refused multi-crore deals for harmful products.

Bollywood stars who said no to pan masala ads.

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• Several actors, including Anil and Allu, declined multi-crore pan masala deals.

Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff faced widespread criticism for their endorsements of pan masala. The stars are also facing investigation by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration, which alleges they were actually surrogate ads for the banned Vimal Pan Masala. Amidst all this, Battwara 1947 actor Sunny Deol has stated that he will never promote such products. Besides Sunny, several other B-town celebrities have also categorically refused to appear in ads for pan masala and gutkha. Many have even turned down such deals worth crores. 

Sunny Deol Will Never Do A Pan Masala Ad

On the show 'Unplugged Shubhankar', Sunny Deol explained why, unlike many of his co-actors, he has never worked in a pan masala ad. He said, "I don't do pan masala ads and I never will. I won't promote anything like gutkha. I get offers, but I won't do them. I don't want to do anything I don't believe in. I don't believe in these things. I don't think promoting them is a good thing."

Akshay Kumar Apologised

Bollywood's Khiladi Kumar, Akshay Kumar, had previously worked in an ad for a pan masala brand alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn. However, this caused a lot of controversy, and the actor faced a lot of criticism. Following the uproar on social media, Akshay apologised to fans and announced that he was ending his association with the brand. The actor stated that he had decided to "step back" from the brand and donate his entire fee to a "noble cause."

Ranveer Singh Also Walked Away From A Pan Masala Ad

Bollywood's energetic star Ranveer Singh is among the actors who have refused pan masala ads. He withdrew from a pan masala brand's ad campaign. When asked about this, the veteran actor said he was unaware that the ad he shot fell under the category of surrogate advertising (indirect advertising). He also returned the money he received for the endorsement.

Amitabh Bachchan Had Also Refused To Do The Pan Masala Ad

Bollywood's Shahenshah Amitabh Bachchan had promoted 'silver-coated cardamom seeds,' but after facing a lot of trolling, he distanced himself from this campaign.

Anil Kapoor Had Turned Down A Deal Worth Crores For A Pan Masala Ad

 Anil Kapoor had also received a deal worth 10 crores for a pan masala ad. A report in Pinkvilla stated, "Yes, a major pan masala company had made Anil Kapoor an attractive offer. However, he immediately turned it down. He believes in his responsibility towards his fans and the general audience... He feels that he should not promote products that can harm people's health for the sake of money."

Kartik Aaryan Also Renounces Betel Nut And Pan Masala Ads

In a conversation with 'The Lallantop', Kartik Aaryan also revealed that he had turned down offers for 'betel nut' and other endorsements. He said that he felt it was 'wrong'. The actor had said, "I got offers from many brands which I refused. Like betel nut and pan masala brands.

I can't relate to these things, and I try to avoid them as much as possible. I can't say who is right or wrong; everyone has their own opinions. But this doesn't fit into my plans."

Allu Arjun Also Avoids Pan Masala And Gutkha Ads

Pushpa actor Allu Arjun always avoids promoting tobacco, pan, and alcohol brands. A report in Gulte stated that Allu Arjun had received a similar brand placement deal for his film, which he turned down. On-screen, when the actor smokes, drinks, or chews (such as paan masala), the brand wanted its logo to appear in the frame. Reportedly, the actor was even offered 10 crore rupees for this, but Allu turned down the deal.

Yash Also Turned Down A Multi-Crore Deal For A Pan Masala Ad

Toxic actor Yash also turned down endorsement deals worth crores of rupees with pan masala and cardamom brands in 2022. Exceed Entertainment, the agency that manages Yash's endorsement deals, issued a statement, saying, "Recently, we turned down a major offer worth crores of rupees from a pan masala brand, and we will be very careful about who we associate with.

Given his pan-India appeal, we want to use this opportunity to convey the right message to his fans and followers. We want to invest our time and effort with brands that have a vision and ethos, who think like us and are long-term minded – just like Yash himself."