Akshay Kumar features in Vimal advertisement again, leaves fans furious
During the World Cup match between India and Australia on Sunday, Akshay Kumar fans were in for an unwanted surprise. The "surprise" was an advertisement for Vimal Elaichi (surrogate ad for Vimal Pan Masala) featuring him, Shah Rukh Khan, and Ajay Devgn. Last year, when Kumar joined hands with Vimal, he faced immense backlash, post which, he apologized and vowed never to re-promote tobacco.
This is what happens in the controversial advertisement
Apart from the aforementioned three A-listers, the ad also features actor-model and Bigg Boss 16 fame Soundarya Sharma. In the clip, SRK and Devgn can be seen sitting in a car, parked near Kumar's home, and calling him downstairs. When all tactics fail, Devgn opens a packet of Vimal Elaichi, and its aroma triggers Kumar to finally come down and meet his friends.
Saw the ad yet?
Fans have now called out his 'hypocrisy'
Aghast that Kumar is promoting the brand again, fans on X are now calling him a "hypocrite" who can "do anything for money." An X user wrote, "Your entire apology was a facade. Cannot trust anyone in Bollywood now," while another concurred and added, "How irresponsible of you...[these stars] don't realize how many people die of mouth cancer [because] of this gutka."
Should AK be blamed? There's a contract to obey
However, there is another side to the story. It's possible that the ad was shot when Kumar was still contractually obligated to Vimal and per the rules of the contract, he cannot stop the brand from airing the ad till their mutual agreement is in place. Even if he doesn't shoot new advertisements or promote Vimal online, the ad(s) can air undeterred.
Kumar had apologized in April 2022, promised to be 'mindful'
In April 2022, Kumar had posted a heartfelt apology on X. He wrote, "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."
Read his full apology note here
Devgn had offered a half-baked response; SRK remained silent
While SRK stayed shockingly mum over the matter, Devgn, the brand's face for years, had defended himself. He had said, "It's personal choice. When you do something, you also see how harmful it would be. Some things are harmful, some aren't. I would say it without naming it because I don't want to promote it," which naturally angered the netizens further.
