Bond chews humble pan

Kolkatta: Actor Pierce Brosnan has apologised for promoting flavoured areca nut that is potentially unhealthy, the People magazine reported on Thursday. The actor who had rescued James Bond from post-Cold War redundancy has accused the manufacturers of Pan Bahar pan masala of misleading him and said he has asked the company to remove his image from all its products, the magazine added. The company could not be contacted tonight for comment but last week, it had defended itself by saying it was selling a legal product. The magazine said that under the contract, Brosnan was expected to advertise a "breath freshener/tooth whitener", which would not include an ingredient that turns saliva red. Brosnan said he had agreed to advertise only a single product and that it was presented as "all-natural containing neither tobacco, supari , nor any other harmful ingredient". "As a man who has spent decades championing women's healthcare and environmental protection, I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahar's unauthorised and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala products," Brosnan said in a statement to People. "I would never have entered into an agreement to promote a product in India that is dangerous to one's health." Pankaj Chaturvedi, an Indian cancer surgeon and an avowed Brosnan fan, had written an impassioned open letter to the actor, drawing his attention to the harmful effects of pan masala. "Do you know that pan masala (flavoured areca nut or supari or betel nut) is a carcinogen? Areca nut is a confirmed cancer-causing substance as per the International Agency for Research on Cancer, WHO, France," the doctor had written. Dr Chaturvedi had reminded Brosnan of cancer striking his family - the actor lost his first wife Cassandra in 1991 and daughter Charlotte in 2013 to cancer. In his statement, Brosnan has referred to his personal tragedy. "Having endured, in my own personal life, the loss of my first wife and daughter as well as numerous friends to cancer, I am fully committed to supporting women's healthcare and research programmes that improve human health and alleviate suffering," the statement said. The actor said he did not know that he was endorsing items that would have a negative or painful reaction in India. He added that Pan Bahar had "grossly manipulated" media outlets to falsely present him as a brand ambassador for its entire line of products, something he writes is "in violation of my contract", People reported. "I shall endeavour to rectify this matter," Brosnan's statement added. "In the meantime, please accept my sincerest and heartfelt apologies to all whom I have offended." The manufacturers of Pan Bahar had last week accused Dr Chaturvedi of "raising a false, unnecessary alarm". "We are making and selling a product that is legal and allowed under the food safety norms by the government," Akhil Jain, CEO with Ashoka and Company, a subsidiary of the DJ Group, had said. The Advertising Standards Council of India had asked the company to clarify why a "celebrity" was used in the pan masala advertisement.