Comments
Actor Akshay Kumar has decided to pull out of his endorsement deal with Vimal Elaichi after receiving criticism for endorsing a pan masala brand. The brand had recently roped him as a brand ambassador and features in ads along with actors Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn.
“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,” the actor tweeted.
He added that he will donate his 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,“ Kumar stated.
As per a recently released celebrity brand valuation report by Kroll, Akshay Kumar has been ranked as the third most valued celebrity in 2021 with a brand value of $139.6 million.
According to the Advertising Standards Council of India guidelines, celebrities should not be featured in advertisements for products that by law require health warnings in their packaging or ads.
Last year, actor Amitabh Bachchan had taken a similar decision to pull out of an endorsement deal with Kamala Pasand and had said that he has returned the money. However the ads have still been airing in the ongoing IPL season.
Comments
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.