Superstar Akshay Kumar recently joined Ajay Devgan and Shahrukh Khan in promoting the pan masala brand by appearing in a TV commercial with them. Due to this decision, Akshay received a lot of criticism from fans and netizens who pointed out his hypocrisy as he is also featured in an anti-smoking ad.
Former CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihlani also expressed his displeasure over this and criticized the actors for promoting such products. According to a recent report in Firstpost, Nihlani said: “I strongly believe that this commercial where Akshay teaches an ordinary man how to spend money on sanitary napkins should now be removed from films. The government should give it serious thought. On the one hand, a well-known salable actor tells the public not to spend on cigarettes. On the other hand, the same actor recommends paan masala. Very confusing to impressionable audiences.
Nihlani went on to compare Bollywood stars with their southern counterparts. He said: “There are temples built for stars like Rajinikanth, Vijay and Khushboo in the South. And when Yash’s KGF 2 was released in Mumbai, his fans poured milk on his cardboard cutout. Did you Ever heard of a Bollywood actor so honored?”
