Shaktiman and Mahabharat actor Mukesh Khanna has sternly reacted to Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn doing pan-masala ads. Khanna, in a recent interview, urged the stars to not promote pan masala and gambling and betting apps under the disguise of surrogate advertisements.
Talking to Bollywood Bubble, Khanna said, “If you ask me, I’d say, inko pakad ke maarna chaahiye (catch them and beat them up). I have told this to them. I have even scolded Akshay Kumar. He is such a health-conscious man otherwise, and he says ‘aadaab’, Ajay Devgn says ‘aadaab’, and now Shah Rukh Khan is going down the same path. Crores of rupees are spent on making these ads. And what are you teaching the people? (They say) we are not selling pan-masala, they say its supari (beetle nut). But they know what they are doing.”
Discussing the repercussions of surrogate advertising on the masses, he said, “When you do a Kingfisher ad, it means you are selling Kingfisher beer. Everybody knows it, it is called deceptive ad. Why do they do these ads? Do they not have money? I have told them this, don’t do these things, you have a lot of money. Some actors have retrieved it, Akshay is one of them. If I am not wrong, Amitabh Bachchan has also moved away from it. But, till this date, crores of rupees are spent on making these ads… people are spraying colour on each other, (and saying) Kesariya jabaan (saffron tongue). You are teaching people to consume guthka! Don’t do it!”
When asked if he was ever offered to do these ads, Mukesh shared, “Never in my life have I done ads for things like cigarettes and pan masala. Yes, mota paisa offer hota hai (they offer you big monies). There were offers, but such things are bad and I cannot promote them. And I request all these big actors, ‘Sir, people look up to you, imitate you, please don’t do this’. You have made such a big name for yourself, people will say, ‘If they can do it, so can we’.”
Talking about how many actors are also promoting gambling and betting apps, Mukesh said, “About Rummy. These ads irritate me. I have seen lots of character artists, from Shakti Kapoor, to everyone, they say, ‘Money will be credited to your bank account directly’, Kapil Sharma also does these ads. I asked them, ‘You are teaching people how to play Rummy, it is banned by the government’. Betting is banned, but it is said that these ads bring the most revenue to YouTube. It has become a matter of pride for new actors and actresses to feature in these ads.”
Recently, actor John Abraham also slammed his actor colleagues for promoting paan masala and gutka, although he said that he isn’t demeaning their choices. He told Ranveer Allahbadia, “I love all my actor friends and I’m not disrespecting any of them. I want to make it clear that I’m talking about myself. But I will not sell death, because it’s a matter of principle.”
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