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Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn are back with a new ad for Vimal Elaichi and this time, instead of Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff has joined them. Akshay was previously one of the brand ambassadors but quit after a lot of public outrage.He also issued an apology for his association with brand that is often accused of surrogate advertising to promote their pan masala products. Ajay has also faced criticism for associating with the brand but has continued to endorse it. The ad also features Amyra Dastur. Surrogate advertising is defined as a form of advertising which is used to promote banned products, like cigarettes, tobacco and alcohol, in the disguise of another product. Earlier, Amitabh Bachchan had also bowed out of contract for endorsing a pan masala brand after public outcry.
The ad opens with Ajay and Shah Rukh being stuck in traffic in the tiny by-lanes of a small town as they honk incessantly in their vintage car to pedestrians who seem to be just going about their day. Shah Rukh then tells Ajay, “Chal ho jaa shuru” and Ajay opens a sachet of the brand. The entire town gets a computer graphics generated shower of the product and Tiger appears almost out of nowhere and starts throwing fistfuls of it on Shah Rukh and Ajay. Shah Rukh joins the fight and ends up hitting Amyra Dastur with even more of the product. The ad ends with Ajay calling Tiger over as he joins them in their car.
Fans, who call this the ‘Vimal Cinematic Universe’, were quick to crack jokes. One of the fans wrote in the comments section, “Bade Miyan left vimalverse and Chote Miyan joined.” Tiger and Akshay were recently seen in the film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. Another fan joked, “No Marvel no DC, only we are fans of VCU.” Tiger was previously a brand ambassador for Pan Bahar with Mahesh Babu.
Akshay first appeared in an ad for the brand in 2022 but after some backlash, the actor decided to take a step back from the brand. “I am sorry. I would like to apologise to you, all my fans and well-wishers. Your reaction over the past few days has deeply affected me. While I have not and will not endorse tobacco, I respect the outpouring of your feelings in light of my association with Vimal Elaichi. With all humility, I step back. I have decided to contribute the entire endorsement fee towards a worthy cause. The brand might continue airing the ads till the legal duration of the contract that is binding upon me, but I promise to be extremely mindful in making my future choices. In return I shall forever continue to ask for your love and wishes,” he said.
In 2023, when Akshay appeared in another ad for the brand, people suspected that he was back with them. However, the actor said that the ad was shot back in 2021, when he was still in contract with them. “These ads were shot on 13th October, 2021. I have not had anything to do with the brand ever since I publicly announced the discontinuation of the endorsement. They can legally run the already shot ads till the end of next month,” he shared on X.
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