On April 21, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar announced that he was ‘stepping back’ as a brand ambassador of the Vimal Elaichi brand. Kumar had recently signed up as a brand ambassador of the company’s Elaichi products. Vimal also make tobacco brands, and Kumar endorsing the brand was seen as an endorsement of those products. Notably, actors Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn are already endorsing the brand.
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) April 20, 2022
In a social media post, Akshay apologized to the fans for endorsing the brand and pledged to donate the fee to a charity. In his post, Kumar said, “I am sorry. I would like to apologize 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.”
Akshay was trolled on social media for endorsing Vimal’s ‘Zubaan Kesari’ universe
On April 13, it was reported that Akshay Kumar signed up as a brand ambassador for Vimal brand’s Elaichi products. A new trailer was announced by the brand. Soon after the announcement, netizens took on social media to criticize Kumar for the endorsement. While the reports triggered a meme war on social media, some users shared his old clips where he was seen criticizing other actors for endorsing such brands.
Vimal Elaichi is owned by the Manikchand Group, a privately owned group of industries in India headquartered in Pune. It primarily started out as a company that produced chewable tobacco products called ‘Gutkha’. It is one of the leading producers of Gutkas in India, with One of the most successful gutka called RMD, which became famous for its brand ambassador Moiz Miya during the year 2018, 2019 and 2020.
