New Delhi: Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar have come together for an advertisement of a tobacco brand. While Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan have been the brand ambassadors of the tobacco brand 'Vimal Pan Masala' for quite some time now, the latest to join their league is 'Khiladi' Akshay Kumar.
In the latest ad of 'Vimal Elaichi', the three stars can be seen sharing the screen space as they promote the brand's product. Akshay Kumar has been under netizens radar ever since the ad was released and has massively been trolled for the same. The reason being, Akshay had earlier refused to do ads for products that affect public health but later joined the league for money.
On Wednesday, Dr. Shekhar Salkar, Goa BJP's medical cell convenor, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strip Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan off their Padma awards for featuring in surrogate advertisements promoting tobacco products.
"I have no words to condemn the way Akshay Kumar has joined the gang of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgan to promote cancer through a surrogate advt of tobacco product. Ironically, all these people are Padma award winners," Salkar Tweeted.
Check out the tweet here:
"While @PMOIndia is working overtime to make India healthy through Fit India movement, the entire mission is humiliated by these so-called influencers with their surrogate advt trapping the younger generation into tobacco consumption. Do these actors really deserve Padmashri," asked Salkar, who is also an office-bearer of the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication.
"People have put their faith in these disgraced, dishononurable actors who have sold their soul and ethics to make money at the cost of minds of innocent youth who emulate them and get adversely influenced and initiated to tobacco consumption," he added.
In another tweet he shared, "Those actors who push the younger generation towards the cancer through their surrogate advertisements should be striped off of their national honours."
Amitabh Bachchan is the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan award, while Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar have been awarded the Padmashri award, the country's fourth highest civilian honour.