Akshay Kumar Apologises for Vimal Advertisement
Akshay Kumar received a lot of backlash over his Vimal endorsement. Watch the video for all the details.
According to India law companies can not advertise tobacco products, alcohol, cigarettes, etc that are harmful to the body. Instead they advertise in different ways. Vimal is a company that sells silver coated elaichi as well as other tobacco products. Shah Rukh Khan & Ajay Devgn have worked in advertisements for Vimal.
This time the company released a new AD where there are Ajay Devgn, Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar.
The video Shah Rukh and Ajay Devgn welcoming Akshay to the ‘Vimal universe’. All of them struck the Vimal salute and chewed on the silver coated elaichi (cardamom). Akshay fans were unhappy that he was promoting a harmful product. People could not wrap their heads around the fact that Akshay Kumar, famed for his physical fitness, was endorsing what is essentially a gutka brand. They even shared old videos of him in which he had spoken about his aversion to alcohol, cigarettes, and other products, to remind him of what he had once said. In the clip, Akshay said that while he has been offered several such ads, he would not resort to them as he believes in the concept of swasth Bharat (healthy India).
He then apologized to his fans with a note on Instagram. “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,”
