Akshay Kumar’s 2022 Vimal Apology Resurfaces Amid Maharashtra FDA Scrutiny of Celebrity Endorsements

Akshay Kumar’s four-year-old apology over his association with Vimal Elaichi has returned to attention as Maharashtra authorities intensify scrutiny of celebrity advertising linked to pan masala brands.

There is an important distinction in the latest development: Akshay Kumar is not among the three actors named in the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration’s recent show-cause notices. The notices were issued to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over a Vimal Elaichi campaign that the regulator alleges functions as surrogate advertising for Vimal Pan Masala.

Akshay’s connection to the current debate is historical. He appeared in a Vimal Elaichi campaign in 2022, faced criticism over the association and publicly stepped back from the endorsement. His old statement is now being revisited because the underlying question — how far celebrities should be responsible for promoting brands associated with restricted products — is once again under regulatory examination.

What Akshay Kumar actually apologised for in 2022

Akshay appeared with Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement released in April 2022. Vimal’s official YouTube channel presented the campaign as an elaichi promotion and introduced Akshay alongside the two actors.

The association attracted criticism because of the wider Vimal branding and its connection with pan masala products.

Akshay subsequently released a statement apologising to his fans and well-wishers. Importantly, he drew a distinction between tobacco and the product he had agreed to endorse, saying he had not endorsed and would not endorse tobacco, while acknowledging the criticism surrounding his association with Vimal Elaichi.

He announced that he was stepping back from the endorsement and said he had decided to contribute the endorsement fee to a “worthy cause.” He also warned at the time that advertisements already covered by the binding contract could continue to be broadcast for its legal duration.

That final point became significant the following year.

Why Akshay appeared in another Vimal advertisement after apologising

In October 2023, an advertisement featuring Akshay alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn surfaced again, prompting claims that he had returned to the brand despite his earlier apology.

Akshay publicly disputed that interpretation.

He said the advertisement had been filmed on October 13, 2021, before he announced the discontinuation of his endorsement in April 2022. According to the actor, he had had no involvement with the brand after making that announcement, while the company retained contractual rights to air material that had already been filmed for a limited period.

The distinction is relevant to the present story because Akshay’s appearance in old advertising material should not automatically be treated as evidence that he resumed the endorsement.

What has happened in Maharashtra in 2026?

The renewed discussion follows action by the Maharashtra FDA against a newer Vimal Elaichi campaign.

The regulator issued show-cause notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff, questioning their participation in advertisements for Vimal Elaichi. The FDA alleges that the campaign indirectly promotes Vimal Pan Masala and therefore potentially constitutes surrogate advertising.

According to reporting on the notices, the actors were asked to explain their position within 15 days, stop further endorsements connected with the campaign and provide details relating to their endorsement arrangements.

Reuters reported that the Maharashtra authority's action forms part of a wider food-safety drive and that the regulator views the cardamom advertising as maintaining brand visibility for a product category subject to restrictions in the state.

There is no reliable evidence in the material reviewed that Maharashtra FDA issued the same 2026 notice to Akshay Kumar.

That clarification matters because a headline suggesting that all four stars currently face regulatory action would misrepresent the available evidence.

Why “surrogate advertising” is central to the dispute

The regulatory concern is not simply that celebrities are appearing in advertisements carrying the Vimal name.

India’s Central Consumer Protection Authority specifically addresses surrogate or indirect advertisements in its Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022.

The guidelines prohibit advertisements for otherwise prohibited or restricted goods from circumventing those restrictions by presenting themselves as advertising for another product. They say factors can include the use of branding, presentation or other characteristics associated with the restricted product.

At the same time, the rules contain an important qualification: simply using a brand or company name that is also associated with a restricted product does not automatically make an advertisement surrogate advertising if the advertisement is otherwise legitimate under the guidelines.

That means the Maharashtra FDA’s position against the Vimal campaign is an allegation by the regulator that must be distinguished from a final finding of liability.

Celebrity endorsers can face consequences under consumer law

The broader regulatory environment also explains why the latest notices are significant beyond one advertising campaign.

The Department of Consumer Affairs says endorsers are expected to exercise due diligence and ensure that endorsements are based on adequate information and are not deceptive. Under the Consumer Protection Act framework, penalties for false or misleading advertising can reach ₹10 lakh, rising to ₹50 lakh for subsequent violations in applicable circumstances.

The government’s 2022 guidelines also expressly prohibit surrogate advertising.

This shifts the discussion beyond whether a celebrity personally consumes a product. Regulators can examine the message conveyed by the advertisement, the relationship between the advertised product and the wider brand, and the responsibilities of both advertisers and endorsers.

Akshay Kumar’s apology now carries a different context

When Akshay apologised in 2022, the immediate issue was public criticism.

Four years later, his statement is being viewed against a considerably more explicit regulatory conversation surrounding celebrity endorsements and surrogate advertising.

His decision to distance himself from Vimal is therefore relevant historical context, but it should not be transformed into a fresh controversy involving him personally.

The currently verified sequence is straightforward: Akshay appeared in a Vimal Elaichi campaign; apologised and announced his withdrawal in April 2022; later said subsequent advertising featuring him had been filmed before that withdrawal; and is not one of the celebrities identified in the Maharashtra FDA’s August 2026 notices currently driving the renewed debate.

The Celebrity Hour Take

The resurfacing of Akshay Kumar’s apology demonstrates why celebrity-endorsement stories need more than a viral clip or an old advertisement.

A viewer encountering the 2023 commercial, for example, could reasonably conclude that Akshay had reversed his 2022 decision. His subsequent clarification supplied a materially different explanation: the material had been filmed before his withdrawal.

The same distinction is necessary now. Akshay’s previous Vimal association is relevant to the wider debate, but the current FDA action is against Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff not Akshay, based on the evidence reviewed.

There is also a broader change in the conversation. What was largely framed as a celebrity-image controversy in 2022 is increasingly a question of advertising regulation, surrogate promotion and endorser responsibility.

That is the more useful story for readers: not simply that an old apology has “gone viral again,” but why it has become relevant four years later and what the current regulatory action actually does and does not establish.

Sources & Verification

This report was independently prepared using Akshay Kumar’s documented 2022 statement, his subsequent 2023 clarification, Vimal Elaichi’s official advertising material, recent reporting on the Maharashtra FDA notices and the Central Consumer Protection Authority’s official advertising guidelines.

The Celebrity Hour specifically cross-checked whether Akshay Kumar is a recipient of the current Maharashtra FDA notices. The material reviewed identifies Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff; it does not establish that Akshay received the same notice. The FDA’s surrogate-advertising allegation is presented as a regulatory position, not as a final adjudicated finding.