Actor Allu Arjun has rejected a popular liquor and pan masala brand’s lucrative advertisement deal. The “Pushpa: The Rise” fame actor reportedly rejected the brand’s offer of Rs 10 crore for its logo to be displayed on screen every time he smokes or chews tobacco as ‘Pushpa’ in the much-awaited sequel “Pushpa: The Rule”. The actor turned down the offer saying that it goes against his ethics and is “comfortable” in promoting such brands.
This, however, is not the first time the Telugu sensation has refused an ad deal offered by liquor and pan masala brands. In August this year, similar reports emerged about the actor refusing to sign a multi-crore deal with a tobacco and liquor brand. The actor reportedly said that he himself does not consume tobacco and does not wish to encourage his fans to do the same.
It is worth recalling that in April this year, KGF fame superstar Yash had refused a tobacco brand deal. The actor rejected the multi-crore deal since he wanted to give the right message to his fans and followers.
Interestingly, while these south superstars rejected tobacco brand deals, Bollywood biggies Ajay Devgn, Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar drew flak over promoting gutka brand. The trio recently received notices from the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) for promoting tobacco brands.
Notably, actors Akshay Kumar alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn were seen in the advertisements of the brand Vimal. This sparked controversy, and Akshay Kumar resigned as Vimal’s brand ambassador last year after receiving criticism from his fans. Previously, he had signed up as a brand ambassador for the company’s Elaichi products. However, Vimal also makes tobacco products, and his endorsement of the brand was seen as an endorsement of those products. In October this year, Kumar refuted a media report claiming that he is returning as the brand ambassador for Vimal Pan Masala.
Actors Shahrukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, and Amitabh Bachchan received flak from fans over a commercial that aired featuring him back in 2021. Following the backlash, Bachchan withdrew from a pan-masala advertising campaign.
