MUMBAI: Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said he shared President Droupadi Murmu’s appeal to popular film artists not to endorse products harmful to people’s health.Celebrities have a powerful influence on young minds and a true “star” should spread light, not darkness, Murmu said while addressing the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony on Tuesday.“Influence is not immunity. Artists, like everyone else, must respect the law and recognise the responsibility that comes with endorsing products, behaviours and habits that shape public choices,” Mundhe said on X.“When influence is used to endorse food products, public health cannot be an afterthought. In Maharashtra, we have already issued notices to artists for endorsements that raise concerns in the larger public interest,” he said.The FDA chief said no one was above the law. “Influence must never become a licence to promote what may harm public health. No commercial interest can take precedence over public health,” Mundhe said.On August 11, the FDA issued notices to Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff, claiming that the Vimal Elaichi advertisement featuring them amounted to surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, a product prohibited in Maharashtra.The actors were instructed to immediately discontinue their participation, remove the advertisements from their social media and digital platforms and cease further promotional cooperation.(With inputs from PTI)
