EXCLUSIVE: Mukesh Khanna reveals scolding Akshay Kumar for promoting ‘pan masala’ ad; slams Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan

A major chunk of the masses have expressed their disappointment over the actors who are promoting pan-masala ads. Due to this, stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar have also backed out from the brand due to various reasons. Speaking about the same, actor Mukesh Khanna revealed that he scolded Akshay Kumar for promoting the pan-masala ad and asked him to stop it. During an exclusive chat with Bollywood Bubble’s Let Talk podcast, Khanna even slammed Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan for continuing to promote the brand.

Mukesh Khanna scolded Akshay Kumar

He told us, “If you ask me, I should grab them and hit them. I even scolded Akshay Kumar, who is a health-conscious person. He says “Greetings” and then there’s Ajay Devgn, and now even Shah Rukh Khan has started. They spend crores of rupees on these ads, and what are they teaching people? They say, “We only promote paan masala, not tobacco,” but it’s the same thing—gutka is being sold under the same brand name. Everyone knew that the Kingfisher bottle ad was actually promoting Kingfisher beer. This is called deceptive advertising.“

“Why do these people do this? Do they not have enough money? I’ve spoken up about this before; I said, “Don’t do it, sir. You already have plenty of money.” Some actors have retreated. Akshay has stepped back, and I even heard that Amitabh Bachchan ji also said he didn’t know it would be used this way, so he withdrew as well, he said.”

“But still, crores of rupees are spent on these open advertisements, where they are showing colourful ads and promoting “kesariya zubaan” (saffron-coloured tongue) while on the other hand, they are teaching people to consume gutka. Don’t do this. In my entire life, I have never promoted cigarettes, paan, or any harmful product. I’ve been offered these endorsements, with huge amounts of money, but I always refused. I will not promote something that is harmful. And I say to all the big actors, people look up to you and imitate you. Please don’t do this. You have such a huge influence; whatever you do, people will say, “If they do it, why shouldn’t I?” He continued.

Watch the full interview here

Also read: EXCLUSIVE: Mukesh Khanna on Ranveer Singh playing Shaktimaan: I want someone whose image is good